Gentle Rain
by Gumnut
Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening. Warm Rain series. Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, some background pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part One

Author: Gumnut

14-15 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count:

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: After 'The Proposal' and before 'Goodbye'.

Author's note: Thank you to all my wonderful readers and supporters who continue to help me create more and more stories. I'm having the time of my life, you guys are wonderful :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

"For the love of god, will you bloody well sit still!"

Kayo frowned.

"I need to-" Scott. That was Scott.

"If you don't stop moving, I will knock you out, you hear me?" It was a threatening tone. Kayo attempted to force her eyes open. They moved, but flickered closed again.

"Please, she's my sister." That sent alarm bells ringing. What the hell? Scott's voice hurt. "Virgil..." Virgil! She struggled against the weight drawing her down. Virgil? Where was Virgil?

There was dust in her nose.

"Your sister is okay. It is you who you should be worried about. Sit still."

"But-"

"What do you think your sister will do to you if you haemorrhage attempting to get to her? What do you think she will do if you go and die on her simply because you're being a stupid ass and won't sit still?

There was no answer. Scott? Virgil?

Her eyes opened only to encounter blur. Grey blur. "S-Scott?" That was her voice?

"Kayo!"

"God damnit, if you undo what little I've managed to do, I'll kill you myself!"

That had Kayo moving before she could think. She sat up abruptly and her reward was a spinning vertigo and spikes of pain through her head, her back, her legs. She groaned, her stomach crawling up her oesophagus.

She swallowed desperately and only just managed to keep whatever she last ate where it was supposed to be.

"Keep yourself calm. You have a concussion."

Her voice was parched. "No kidding." Her eyesight was wobbly, blurry and grey. "Where are we?"

"Basement of Kenny's Hotel, King's Park."

That made her blink. "Where?"

The voice sighed. "Perth, Western Australia. I guess you guys could find yourself anywhere on the planet at any time. You were here to help with a landslide."

Landslide? In Perth? She frowned. Her memory was a mess. Only one name and one face kept resurfacing. "Virgil? Where is Virgil?" She reached for her kit, feeling for one of those light sticks her fiancé demanded she carry. There was the crack of broken seals and the blur glowed green.

"I'm sorry. I don't know who Virgil is, much less where he is. Only you, your brother Scott and myself are privileged to be caught in this hole."

She frowned again, looking towards the voice. The green blur cleared a little, leaving shapes. "Scott?"

"Here, Kayo." He didn't sound too good. "Contact Virgil."

Contact Virgil...yes. She hit her comms. Nothing happened.

She hit them again. "Virgil? John? Thunderbird Five?" No confirmation of an open line, no crackle of transmission. Nothing.

She ran her hand over her face, willing her thoughts to clear and the pounding to stop. Where was her helmet? A moment of discovery found it beside her on broken floorboards. How?

Calm. Now was not the time to lose control. If Virgil was okay, he would find them. If he wasn't, she would find him. Concentrate.

Using years of mental discipline, she pulled herself into focus, desperately compartmentalising, shunting pain away, grabbing for control. She was needed. No time for weakness.

It helped. It forced more clarity. Her eyesight wasn't much better, but it improved a little. The woman had dark hair and was lying beside her brother. Scott's shape was crumpled on his side. He was staring at her.

They were in a hole, literally. Broken masonry and brickwork surrounded them, but they were in a clear spot created by a massive concrete beam above them capturing all the debris and leaving the open space that had obviously saved their lives.

"Scott, status?"

She knew the answer wouldn't be good. She dreaded it.

"Er..." He didn't want to tell her, it was obvious.

The woman answered for him. "Perforated abdominal cavity, broken ribs, arm and leg."

"Your bedside manner sucks." He snarled at her.

"Put yourself in a bed and it might improve. But for the moment, stop moving, stop talking, keep living. Be damned if I let you die on my watch."

"As I said, it sucks."

"Who are you?" Kayo blinked desperately trying to clear her vision. This could be a security situation.

"Em Harris. Doctor Em Harris. I'm supposed to be on vacation, but the hillside decided it wanted to fall on people. Tried to help, then this hotel decided to join the party."

Kayo took what she needed from that and discarded the rest. "Your medical status?"

"Severe lacerations to my legs, possibly a cracked rib, bruising and a knock to the head. I've bound the bleeders as best I can." There was hesitation. "I may need some assistance with that." Another pause. "How's your eyesight?"

"Not great."

"Give it some time." The hiss of an exhaled breath. "What about the rest of you? I didn't see anything, but..."

Kayo did a quick mental check of herself. Her thought processes were definitely getting clearer. Everything was aching, but bruising was the likely culprit. She arched her back, argh, nasty bruising. She must have fallen some distance, the timber beneath them probably saved her. "Nothing serious."

Silence fell for a moment and the lack of sound was oppressive.

"Did you want me to check your legs?" She had eyes on Scott, but from what she could see, which was admittedly blurry, the doctor had done everything she said. His arm was splinted to his body, his legs tied together, and cloth was wrapped around the obvious wooden cause of the damage to his side. Kayo was running scenarios through her head and none of them were good. They needed to get out of here. But lives first and the woman had shown her only hesitation at the mention of herself.

Not waiting for an answer, she shuffled her way over to the pair, a hand landing briefly on Scott's fingers, her heart twinging at the sight of darkness staining his uniform. Iron control kept her in check, thoughts briefly flickering to Virgil shunted away.

The woman, Doctor Harris, was lying alongside her brother, the green light making her look sickly. Her legs were sprawled carelessly, the material of her pants shredded. There was that same darkness seeping through. Kayo bit her lip. Torn pieces of clothing, presumably her jacket and part of her shirt were wrapped in strategic places.

This hadn't happened where she was lying. It couldn't have. Kayo frowned lighting up a trail of darkness leading into the rubble. God. "What did you do?"

The woman looked up at her. "What was necessary."

How was she conscious? Grabbing the remains of the woman's jacket, she pulled out the small laser cutter that her fiancé also had on his list of must carry, and sliced up some more quick bandages and began first aid on the woman's legs.

Halfway through the first wrapping, the doctor reached down and touched her hand. "I can't feel it. Haven't been able to for a long time. You're not hurting me." And she pointed to a half-crushed piece of equipment lying amongst the rubble.

A hover chair.

Kayo caught her eyes for a moment, but then hurried on to prevent the woman from slowly bleeding to death, whether she could feel it or not.

In the end, the IR operative managed to conserve enough material to bind the doctor's legs together and immobilise them completely.

The woman smiled briefly, her fingers going once again to Scott's pulse. Her brother mumbled something and Kayo slid herself around so he could see her.

His eyelids were drooping, but he was fighting to keep them open. "K, sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "For what? This isn't the first time a building has fallen on either of us."

"Virgil's gonna be pissed."

"Oh, yes." She smiled, ignoring the fact she didn't know his location or status. "The building is going to get it good. He is going to kick its ass."

Scott smiled, an exhale of a laugh crumpling into a grimace. "Wish he'd get on with it."

She reached out and gently cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing away a single pain-filled tear.

Then as if in telepathic answer, there was a roar of machinery, followed by the familiar whine of her fiancé's exo-suit in action.

The satisfying grind of shifting brickwork and finally his voice. She loved his voice at any time, but right now, she had to admit it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Kay?! Scott?! Can you hear me?"

"Virgil!" His name danced from her lips.

"Kay! Oh thank god." More sounds of shattering brickwork. His breathing as he worked echoed over his external comms. "Status?"

"Three of us. Civilian. Female. Lacerated legs. Moderate bleeding." She caught the doctor's eyes. "Medical history of paraplegia." She took a breath. "Scott." She looked down at her brother. Still fighting to stay conscious. "Conscious but injured. Broken arm, leg, ribs and perforated abdominal cavity." It hurt just to say it.

"Copy that." Something outside crashed with attitude. "And you?"

"Concussion and simple bruising." A pause. "I'm okay." Love, I'm okay.

He didn't answer, but he didn't have to. There was another crash and a grunt. Light flickered around them through gaps in the rubble. Moments later, her fiancé tore through the last of the brickwork, his hydraulics wheezing as his chest heaved, his eyes darting between her and his brother.

Gordon and Alan broke the tableau by dashing in from behind him, a backboard and kit each, followed by local paramedics. There was a flurry of medical assessment, Scott attempting to yell, Doctor Harris equally yelling at him to shut up and keep still. Gordon taking charge and setting his eldest brother straight in the sharpest tones possible, enough to have everyone staring at him for a matter of seconds.

"Way to go, Gords." Alan muttered the words, but was focussed on the doctor, busy securing her to the backboard.

Kayo struggled to her feet, ignoring the attention of the paramedic attempting to keep her down. Her body creaked as she walked over to Virgil. His eyes were on her, then on Scott, on her again, his chest still heaving from his exertions. She knew he was moments away from shedding the exo-suit and diving into help.

She put her hand onto his chest and felt his heart pounding through several layers of uniform and her glove. "He will be alright." He had to be.

Then Gordon and the paramedics were racing past them out into the Australian summer sun, the blue of the sky denying the weeks of unseasonal rain that had caused the landslide in the first place. Alan followed shortly after with the doctor spouting off Scott's condition even while being carted off herself.

She shook off the paramedic who accosted her again, and suddenly they were alone.

One arm slipped out of the exo-suit and she was suddenly in a crushing hug, her bruises protesting. He didn't say anything.

He didn't need to.

It was one self-indulgent moment and then he let her go. His voice was deep and hoarse. 'Let's get you checked out." His hydraulics wheezed as he slipped his arm back into the suit and gestured her forward.

She blinked at the sunlight piercing her eyes, but straightened and walked out from under the building.

-o-o-o-

End Part One.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Two

Author: Gumnut

15-19 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2344

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: After 'The Proposal' and before 'Goodbye'.

Author's note: This is for scribbles97 . Thank you to all my wonderful readers and supporters who continue to help me create more and more stories. I'm having the time of my life, you guys are wonderful :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Waking in hospital was not her favourite. She had done it many times in her thirty years and none of those events had been pleasant. This one was proving that they didn't get any better.

She could smell the hospital around her.

A frown. Vague memories of faces, decisions, words, it seemed like dreams, all starting with that hole and the man from International Rescue.

A pair of blue eyes.

Standing on the second floor reaching out for him as the floor collapsed beneath them. Her chair tipping, the world spinning, brickwork and pain.

Darkness.

A scream and the sudden rushing halt of her fall.

The crushing asphyxiation of the building on top of her.

The need to get to him. Knowing he was there and possibly dying after all the lives he had saved.

And she could save him.

She had to save him.

The drag, the pull, the pure force of knowing what she was likely doing to herself to get to him.

Her own blood on her hands, warm in the darkness.

Timber grain under her fingernails. Rough uniform fabric.

His breath on her skin.

The sound of his voice as he challenged her.

His blood.

His bloody arguing. His fear for his sister.

The feel of his pulse beneath her fingers.

Her own thudding in her ears.

"Emaline?"

Scott Tracy, International Rescue.

"Emaline?" A female voice, persistent. "Emaline?"

Em. Name's Em.

"Emaline? It is time to wake up, honey."

Honey? No-one calls her honey. Name's Em.

"C'mon, I know you're in there." Someone touched her hand.

She opened her eyes.

White. Blue curtains. White. A white nurse. A friendly smile. "There you are. Time for your medication and some lunch."

Em didn't answer. She just stared up at the woman. There was an interesting pattern in the ceiling tiles. The nurse bustled off for a moment and came back with a little cup of pills. "Would you like me to help you sit up?"

She blinked up at the face above her and gave it a single nod. It wasn't like she was going to be sitting up herself anytime soon.

The back of the bed rose up and the world settled into a more sensible perspective.

More white…and there was another woman in her room.

"Scott Tracy." The words fell from her mouth before she could censor them.

The nurse glanced at the other woman. "Yes, you have a visitor." She straightened the sheets around her hips, making sure she was secure and not about to topple over. "Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine." Her eyes didn't leave the frowning green eyes across the room.

"Well, your lunch and medication are here. Buzz, if you need me."

Em didn't reply and the nurse left the room, sparing a puzzled glance at her visitor.

"How is he?"

The IR woman was wearing a simple flowery summer dress, quite in contrast to the uniform she had been wearing when they met. It softened her features. She took a couple of steps closer to the bed. "Scott is recovering. Apparently, much in thanks to you." A dark eyebrow rose. "I hear it hasn't gone as well for you."

"You hear do you?" Em smirked. "I'm sure you 'hear' a lot of things."

The other eyebrow joined its partner. "It is my job to know as much as possible about the people who interact with International Rescue." Her lips thinned. "In this case, I know your recovery has not gone as well as it could have." She tipped her head to Em. "I'm very sorry you lost so much in saving us."

Em looked away. She wasn't sure how she felt about it all. It wasn't like she had really lost anything. But still...and diagnoses of her own mental state spun in her head.

"It had to be done." The words tripped out of her mouth. But then...she looked up at the other woman. "How is he really?" A pause. "Tell me it was worth it."

The slightest of smiles spread across her face. "Virgil has him tied to the bed. He's itching to leave." The smile slipped. "He hates hospitals."

Em snorted a little. "I know how he feels." A frown. "So, who is Virgil? The guy in the mechano suit who busted us out?"

And the smile returned. "Yes, Virgil is Scott's brother."

But Em had seen this woman gravitate towards the super soldier. "And?"

Again with the eyebrow. "My fiancé."

"Well, that explains a lot. Congratulations."

The woman actually flushed a little. "Thank you."

"Got yourselves a date yet?"

"Sometime in the new year."

And Em realised that this woman wasn't used to talking about herself.

Em frowned. "Your name is Kayo?"

"Yes."

Em held out her hand. "Doctor Emaline Harris. I'm so very pleased to meet you."

Another reserved smile as Kayo took her hand in a firm grip and shook it. "Kayo Kyrano, security specialist, International Rescue."

"That explains even more."

Again with the frown. The girl was going to give herself wrinkles. "More?"

"Oh, how you shook my hand as if you could have easily flipped me off the bed. Why you've scanned the room twice in the last five minutes. And why you are here at all."

"Really?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to sell my story to the press, or make wild claims, or let the world know that the great Scott Tracy has aeroplanes on his underwear...or they could have been rabbits, it was dark at the time."

"Scott still has those?"

Em stared at Kayo and then burst out laughing. "What? He actually has underwear with aeroplanes on them?"

The security specialist stared back at her before struggling with her own smile. "He likes things that fly."

"I have no doubt."

They were both silent for a moment. Em wondered if she would ever see the man again. She felt herself lucky to be having this conversation with Kayo. After all, International Rescue was legendary. Legendary and ultimately mysterious. The Tracy boys appearing when they were needed, at the world's worst moments, always saving lives in those giant machines of theirs.

Like superheroes.

Yet Kayo stood in front of her now and Scott had been as fragile as any man, sprawled in the dirt.

She wondered what he was doing right now. How he was feeling. The doctor in her wanted to follow up on her patient, but the woman in her was just that tiny bit star struck.

She looked up at Kayo. "Is there any chance I could speak to him?"

-o-o-o-

Scott Tracy hated hospitals. He hated the smell, the colours, the whole invasion of his privacy, lack of sleep, plastic pillows, cardboard sheets, the fact his family needed permission to visit him, the pain the whole scenario put his family through, the pain he was in himself, the medication, the food, and the boredom. Oh god, the boredom. So yeah, Scott Tracy hated hospitals. The only thing he hated worse than being in hospital was when it was a member of his family who was in hospital instead, so at least he had that small grace to be thankful for, but god, he hated this.

It sucked.

At the moment he was alone. Kayo had been in earlier. In fact Kayo had been around quite a bit managing his security and he knew there was a security guard outside his door. Celebrity and all had its downsides.

Where there was Kayo, there was often Virgil, though he was there less often, International Rescue didn't stop entirely just because one of them had a building collapse on them. He had no doubt that it had immediately after his injury, but he was recovering well now and itching to get out of the hospital.

He missed his family.

He missed his home.

He missed his bed.

And he was so bored.

A beep distracted him from his moping. A blink, a moment to think, and he realised it was coming from the hospital issued tablet sitting on its docking arm next to the bed.

He stared at it as it beeped again. John had hacked the hospital system within moments of him waking from surgery. It was standard IR practise. It kept malicious hackers out and intercepted any unauthorised communications.

John's skill was unsurpassed, so that meant the call was authorised. But who would want to speak to him outside of comms?

He poked it and a purple screen with the hospital logo sprung up.

 _Room 7-991 - Emaline Harris requesting contact._

He paused. He owed the woman his life.

But there was still hesitation.

It beeped at him again.

Uh.

The door to his room swung open as Virgil walked in backwards, a cup of steaming beverage in each hand. He was in linen pants and shirt in accordance with the apparent hot weather outside. Not that you would know it in the hospital. He smiled the moment his eyes landed on Scott. "I bring hot chocolate for your drinking pleasure. It appears they make a decent one in the downstairs cafe."

The screen beeped again.

"I even ordered you an extra marshmallow in celebration of venturing into semi-solid foods."

Scott glared at him.

The screen beeped again.

Virgil glanced at the tablet as he put the hot chocolate on the bed table. "You gonna answer that?"

Scott opened his mouth.

"Here." And Virgil touched the screen. The purple logo was replaced by a face.

Damn you, Virgil.

The smirk on his brother's face proved that he knew exactly what Scott was thinking.

"Hello?"

Scott blinked and turned back to the tablet. "Uh, hello, Doctor."

In proper lighting her eyes were the palest blue, in complete contrast to her almost black hair. "Mr Tracy. How are you?"

"Good. Yourself?"

"Getting there."

And then there was an awkward silence.

Virgil rolled his eyes and sat on the bed within the camera pickup. "Hi, Doctor Harris, I'm Virgil, Scott's brother."

"Oh, hello, Virgil. Thank you so much for saving us."

To Scott's annoyance, his brother smiled and tipped his head. "It's what we do, Doctor. Thank you for looking after my brother."

She smiled back. "It's what I do." Those pale blue eyes were back on Scott. "How is he, really?"

"Bored and cranky. This is usually a good sign."

"Hey!"

Virgil smirked at him over his shoulder. "Looks like he wants to demonstrate."

"Give me my damn hot chocolate."

He made a grab for the cup, but Virgil scooped it out of his reach. "Oi, where are your manners?"

"Virgil."

"Scott."

"Fine." And he attempted to fold his arms in a huff, but forgot the cast on the left one. The resultant jumble of limbs did not have the pouting impact he had intended and the sudden movement pulled the stitches in his gut reminding him of exactly why he was in the hospital in the first place.

Virgil being Virgil didn't miss it. "Hey, take it easy."

"It was easy until you turned up."

"Really? Would you like me to leave?"

Scott sighed. "Of course not. Just give me my damned hot chocolate."

The beverage was pushed gently in front of him.

He watched the steam rise from the cup and realised he really didn't want it anyway. He closed his eyes, letting his head lie back on the pillow. God, he hated this.

"You okay?" His brother's voice was quiet and obviously concerned.

"Do I look okay? Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Virgil didn't answer. He simply raised a single dark eyebrow.

Scott wanted to yell at him, but he knew this wasn't Virgil's fault. He just...damn it. "I'm sorry, Virg, I really am, I'm just..." He rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't wrapped in plaster. "This sucks."

A hand landed on his knee, the one that wasn't broken, and squeezed gently. "I know." And those brown eyes understood. They really did. "Tell me what you want, and you'll have it."

Scott glared at him. His brother held up his hands. "I'm not kidding, Scott, whatever you want and if it is in my power, I'll find a way to make it happen."

He meant it. Scott stared at him. "Anything?"

"Anything."

It sounded like a joke, but it wasn't. Virgil was his steadfast, straight forward brother, he rarely said it if he didn't mean it.

He meant it.

But Scott found he didn't really need anything.

He had everything he could possibly ever want. Well, what Virgil was able to give him anyway.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Virg."

That hand squeezed his knee again. "I know. It sucks."

Virgil's comm chose that very moment to go off. His brother's shoulders immediately slumped. "Yes, John?" Scott couldn't hear what was said, but Virgil's expression said it all, followed by a quiet, "FAB."

Scott's questioning glance was answered. "Situation in the Pyrenees. Climbing party stranded."

His brother had stashed his 'bird at the local GDF airbase. The Thunderbird couldn't launch as fast as she could from the island, but she would be in the air momentarily under John's control. Virgil had stashed a pod in the carpark. His brother was minutes away from being airborne.

Something in Scott's gut that had nothing to do with his injury, twisted. His eyes caught Virgil's. "Fly safe."

That hand landed on his knee once more and squeezed. "Always. Now you drink your chocolate and I'll see you later."

"'Later."

And Virgil was turning and out the door before he could say anything further.

As the door shut, the silence in the room wrapped around him, ominous. He dropped his head into his hand rubbing his eyes. Damn it.

The chocolate was no longer steaming, but it sat there staring at him.

"You know, a lack of appetite is common after abdominal surgery."

The voice was quiet, but he jumped anyway and found that pair of ice blue eyes fixed on him, staring out from the tablet that had been sitting there this whole time.

-o-o-o-

End Part Two.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Three

Author: Gumnut

20-21 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2522

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: This is for scribbles97 . Thank you to all my wonderful readers and supporters who continue to help me create more and more stories. I'm having the time of my life, you guys are wonderful :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

"Doctor Harris..uh..."

His face had shuttered the moment he realised he wasn't alone and she oddly missed the openness he had displayed while speaking with his brother. He had very expressive eyes and they had said so much about the relationship between the two men.

Her voice was quiet. "I apologise for intruding on your privacy, Mr Tracy." She swallowed. "Please make sure you continue to follow the diet your doctor has supplied you with. Your body needs the nutrients." She should obviously back out of what was turning out to be an embarrassing situation for the both of them. She hardly knew this man or his brother, and she had just witnessed a very private conversation. Kayo had been willing to allow her to contact him to check on his recovery. She doubted she would approve of such an invasion of privacy.

"Scott." He was sitting up a little straighter. "Call me Scott."

She blinked. "Em."

And another odd silence descended.

He was hard to read. Before, when Virgil had been in the room, his eyes had said everything. From anger to frustration to fondness. The men had argued, but there had been depth to that argument. They had understood each other perfectly. The darker haired brother so obviously sincere when he offered Scott whatever he could provide and the layers of meaning in Scott's apology spoke of a long history of such arguments..

Now, the man may as well have been Vulcan. Every movement of his face was considered, every wrinkle precisely aimed. The smile was gone, and in its stead lay a controlled calm.

This wasn't Scott Tracy. This was the Commander of International Rescue.

Well, she could handle that.

"I just wanted to check on your progress. Make sure you hadn't undone any of my hard work."

"Well, be reassured, Doctor, I'm back in one piece and well on the way to recovery."

Her title rather than her name. He was formalising, attempting to push her away from things she should never have seen. She should respect that.

She should.

"How long ago was Virgil injured?"

That shook him. "Why do you ask?"

"He's favouring his right side."

His eyes widened, his concern directing immediately to his brother. "Six months."

"Severity?"

"Severe." Reluctant to reveal details, of course. Didn't matter, she could make a good guess just by observing the man.

"How many ribs broken?"

Those blue eyes narrowed. "Almost all down his right side."

She winced internally. Bloody hell. "Has he had any follow up recently?"

"He should have. I'll speak to him."

With that expression on his face, she had no doubt he would. She may find herself apologising to Virgil in the near future. "Make sure he gets checked out. The ribs could still be vulnerable to strain depending on the original injury." Hell, the man had been shifting brickwork while strapped into a metal skeleton. She would check him out herself if she got the chance.

"Thank you." And his eyes were suddenly open to her. "For everything. I have no doubt, I could have died in that hole if you hadn't been there."

She smiled just slightly at him. "I was just returning the favour."

He frowned. "Have you been rescued before?"

She had to admit the question took her off guard and she was forced to look away for just a second. "Uh, no, no I haven't. I was referring to the world at large. We all owe you and your brothers more than we can ever repay."

It was his turn to look away and, to her surprise, he even flushed a little. "Someone needs to do it."

"Yes, but you stepped up."

"It was our father's project."

Yes, everyone knew about the great Jeff Tracy. "But it is you and your brothers who are on the front line."

"As I said, someone has to do it." He took in a breath and tilted his head. "Enough about me, you obviously know a great deal already, yet I know very little about you."

Well, she guessed she had asked for that. "What would you like to know?"

He shrugged. "Where are you from?"

"I'm Australian. Grew up south of here, in Margaret River. You?"

"Kansas. And various other places." He raised an eyebrow. "Occupation?"

"Doctor, but you knew that. Speciality, orthopaedic surgery." And she saw the light bulb click above his head. "And yes, that is why I noticed your brother's injury." She smiled. "And you?"

"Pilot." She saw it in his eyes. "And rescue operative, with a little Air Force on the side."

"You make it sound like fast food."

To her surprise, he grinned. "Oh, it's fast alright."

"I gather you like things that go fast?"

"The faster the better."

"Uh-huh. Is a Lachie Dart fast enough for you?"

"An L-Dart? Oh, I got my hands on one of those back in training. Smart little craft." He frowned. "You flown?"

She snorted. "Uh, no, my Dad was in the Australian Air Force. He was the Leader of a squadron of L-Darts. Loved them and let us know repeatedly. Made for a plane filled childhood."

"I can relate to that. Though on top of the planes came space." She saw his mind drift back, his expression kind of sad.

"So you come by it honestly?"

"Oh, yes." The sadness was hovering, but he appeared to shake himself. "What about you? Brothers? Sisters?"

She hesitated. "No, just me." She didn't want to go there and definitely not with this man.

His frown returned. "No one at all?" The concept appeared completely foreign to him.

"Oh, I have an uncle in the States, but I haven't seen him for years." She shrugged. "I have myself and my friends. I'm happy."

"That is good to hear." He suddenly frowned. "Why are you still in the hospital?" And he was obviously trying to think back. "What exactly were your injuries?"

Off screen she clenched a fist. "There were a few complications, but I'm fine." She was fine, really.

He stared at her as if trying to pry the information from her expression. She held her ground. She did not want to face his pity or his horror at what had happened to her. It had been her choice, not his.

It was obvious he knew she wasn't telling him something. "If there is anything I can do, let me know." He paused, his eyes intensely blue. "I owe you one."

There was no answer to that. The man was a billionaire, but she wouldn't ask him for anything. Except...

"Okay, I'll ask you for one thing."

His eyes widened as if he hadn't expected her to take him up on it so readily. "What?"

"You get bored here, you ping me."

His eyes narrowed.

She sighed. Being a celebrity must suck big time. "I'm not looking for your secrets. I'm not going to sell you out to the press. Get Kayo to check me out, I promise. You can have my credit card to hold for ransom, if you like. I just want to make sure you are okay. And besides, you're not the only bored person in this hospital. I can only read so much, and the holoreception here is clunky."

Those blue eyes looked away for a moment considering. They flashed back at her. "Agreed."

She smiled just a little. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." A pause. "And I hope you get well soon." Still suspicious.

"I'm planning on it." She had the irrational urge to reach out and touch his face. "Now rest, Scott."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Doctor."

"It's Em. Or I will start calling you Commander."

"Yes, Em."

She smirked. "Now you're talking. Rest. I'll speak to you soon."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I have no doubt that the moment you wake up next, boredom will set in immediately."

"You don't know me that well."

"I don't have to. You are predictable."

"What?"

She laughed. "Go and rest. I've got a nurse nagging me. Speak to you soon." The expression on his face was worth the risk of never speaking to him again as she cut the signal. The blank screen left an empty space.

She looked up at Kayo. "Thank you so much for allowing this."

A hand landed gently on her upper arm. "Not a problem." She appeared thoughtful. "Now tell me more about Virgil favouring his right side."

-o-o-o-

Virgil threw himself into the elevator and leant against the wall. It took him a moment to realise that, yes, he had to press a button to make the machinery move. A sigh and he hit the residential level button with a thump.

Mountain rescues were unnerving. This hadn't been the first one since his accident, but it had been at a similar height with similar land features, and he had spent the entire mission expecting the mountain to fall on him.

He screwed his eyes shut and let his head drop back against the metal wall as the elevator rose. He was aching again. Everything had healed, but it continued to remind him that yes, he had ripped his side open and done some serious damage and no, he wasn't completely one hundred percent and probably never would be again.

He hated it. It cramped his style.

The car slid to a smooth stop and the engineer in the back of his mind admired Brains' design as he always did.

The doors slid open to reveal Kayo standing with her hands on her hips. She was still wearing that summer dress he so adored. The material hugged her figure in just the right places, soft and feminine. God, she was so beautiful.

And she was frowning.

Uh oh.

"What have I done?" His tired mind tried to flip back through recent events, landed in snow and got stuck. "No, actually, don't tell me yet. I need a shower first." He pushed himself off the wall and held back a groan.

"How long has it been hurting?"

He froze. "What?"

"Your injury."

He let his shoulders sag. "Never stopped." A sigh. "It's fine. I can handle it." He forced himself to straighten and moved to step past her.

Her hand on his chest stopped him, her left hand reaching up to cup his cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Despite himself, he leant into her touch. "It's nothing, love, I promise. A little ache is all."

The hand on his chest slipped under the right side of his rib cage and pressed.

He flinched away with an indrawn breath.

Damn.

"Tell me that again, Virgil."

He closed his eyes. "Okay, perhaps I over did it in Perth."

"Uh huh."

"What was I supposed to do. You were under a building. Scott was under a building. I-" He stopped. "Can I have my shower now?"

She stood up on her toes and kissed him fully on his lips, her arms going around his neck and drawing him in close. He went willingly. "You can, but I'm coming with you."

He hummed approval, kissing the corner of her mouth, her cheekbone and her mouth yet again.

"But don't get your hopes up. I'm planning to examine exactly what you've done to yourself and then you're going to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am." Perhaps he could persuade her otherwise. But another twinge from his side had him sagging again. Who was he kidding?

Her hand brushed his cheek again. "C'mon, love." She took his hand and led him to their rooms. She stood over him as he shed his uniform, and ran the shower to the perfect temperature. She frowned as her eyes caught sight of his rib cage, but she didn't say anything further, simply pushing him gently towards the spray.

She left him there and honestly he was grateful, closing his eyes and letting the warmth soak into him. Soap and a clean, shampoo in his hair, the warmth seeping into his bones, his tired muscles. He let himself lean against the tiles and closed his eyes. Take the moment.

Snow rained around him and he flinched.

Damn.

He shoved his face in the spray, rubbed his eyes and turned off the water.

Kay was standing with his towel.

God, she knew how to be silent.

Cotton was wrapped around him and she dried him off, gently against his injured side.

The injury was still a road map of red lines and smudges all down his ribcage. The scar tissue pulled and was thick in places where he had re-injured the road rash from years before. His skin had not been forgiving with the second injury. It puckered and it pained, but he had grown used to it, figuring that it was the price he had to pay for surviving.

Her fingers traced over the lines, passing over numb spots where the nerves had been destroyed only to tingle where they were still active. He shivered.

She lifted his arm up and examined the lines on its underside. Seeing it all in the stark bathroom light impressed him as to how much of a mess he had made of himself and the unsightliness of the result. Her green eyes were intense as she stared at his scars. A sudden sense of shame washed over him.

But Kay was sensitive to his mood and looked up at him, frowning. "What?"

"Nothing."

The frown deepened.

So he leant down and kissed it away. "I'm okay."

Her hand landed on his left shoulder and gently pushed him back upright. "No, you are not. Why didn't you tell me?" And there was the crux of the matter, he hadn't shared important information with her.

"I didn't think it was important."

Okay, wrong thing to say. "My god, Virgil, in what possible way could your health not be important?"

"I didn't think it was anything worth worrying about."

She turned her back on him, flinging her hands into the air. "Oh, for the love of-" She cut herself off, her shoulders stilling for a moment. He suddenly both wished he could see her face, and was glad he could not.

When she did turn around her expression was once again calm. "I will arrange for you to see a specialist in the morning. Tonight, you will go to bed and rest. No rescues." She held up her hand as he opened his mouth. "God damn it, Virgil, if I have to wake up Scott to make it an order, I'm going to let him rain hell down on you for not telling him about this, too. Then you can feel guilty for stressing him out while he is injured."

He shut his mouth.

So much for not important.

And then she was drawing him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "I'm sorry." The words fell out of his mouth, even though he knew her response.

"Don't be sorry, just don't do it again." Her voice was muffled up against his chest, her breath warm on his skin. He closed his eyes.

-o-o-o-

End Part Three


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Four

Author: Gumnut

21-22 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2852

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 This is a challenge to write. A little different from my norm and proving challenging. Thank you for all your wonderful comments regarding my first original character in this fandom. I hope she doesn't disappoint. And thank you all for your wonderful support, I couldn't do this without you.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Kayo stared at the ceiling. Virgil had long ago painted a beautiful pale abstract across the plain white plasterboard. Swirls of pastel swooped in lazy whorls like the surface of water at dawn, a calming pattern to trace with tired eyes and she was sure he used it in unconscious meditation to get to sleep some nights.

As usual she had awakened early, the light in the room disturbing her, but unlike most mornings she hadn't climbed out of bed. Virgil was thankfully still asleep beside her, his soft snoring somewhat reassuring. His hair was mussed and his face mushed into his pillow as usual, but he was lying on his side facing her, rather than on his stomach and it occurred to her that she should have realised that she hadn't seen him sleeping on his stomach since the accident. The stretch to get his arms under the pillow must be too much. How had she not noticed?

She reached over and touched his hair. She couldn't help herself. But he stirred suddenly and she pulled her hand back. He needed his sleep.

Did men ever grow up? Did they need mothering all their lives? She sighed.

He was a challenge, but so worth it.

A hand reached out and sought hers. "Hey." His voice was rough with sleep.

"Sorry, love, did I wake you?"

"No, no." He yawned. "Dream."

She frowned as he rolled onto his back stretching, and, yes, there was the flinch. Damnit, Virgil. She reached over and touched his bicep. "Come here, love." She pulled gently and he rolled over.

Slipping her arm under his neck, she lay on her back, drawing his head to her chest and stroking his hair. He wrapped his arms around her and she was enveloped in him.

"Love you." His voice was breathy against her breast.

"Love you, too." Her voice equally soft.

They simply lay there for a while, not speaking, his breathing evening out as he drifted. She didn't sleep, but let her thoughts wander, as she stroked his hair.

They had been lucky again. Oh, so, lucky. So close to losing Scott. Losing their big brother. Scott was an irreplaceable presence. They all were, but Scott was the Big Brother, the one they all looked to and followed. She had to admit that Virgil would likely be lost without his brother. In no way did she mean that as a negative, it was just simply how it worked. Virgil was strong, a powerhouse and she adored him, but he wasn't a leader quite like Scott and he never wanted to be.

And for a long time Scott had been the centre of his world. That centre had shifted now to include her, but she would always stand alongside his eldest brother. The love was far from the same, but it was still love, and she could respect that.

Especially when she loved Scott too.

"You're thinking too loud." It was muffled and petulant.

She smiled, letting her fingers trace his ear and drift to his cheek. "I'm thinking about your brother."

"Which one? And do I need to remove him from your attention?"

A grin. "Scott, and no, trust me, love, you have my full attention."

He nestled in closer to her in response. "Good. Love you." A moment later. "What about Scott?"

She rolled her eyes before sobering a little. "Just how lucky we were this time."

He muttered an affirmative into her skin, his breath warm.

"Do you know what she did to save him?"

She felt his brow crinkle against her neck. "What?"

And she was back in the dark of that hole, Scott's breathing harsh in the dim light.

"Kay?" And he was looking down at her. When did he move? "Are you all right?" There was concern in his brown eyes.

She blinked. "Fine." But then she realised she wasn't. She hadn't witnessed what the doctor had done, but her imagination was quite capable of filling in the gaps. "She pulled herself from the rubble and dragged herself over to Scott to stop his bleeding." When Virgil's expression didn't change, she pushed further. "She is a paraplegic, so she felt none of the damage that had been done to her legs and none she did by moving." She swallowed. "Em Harris lost her legs, Virgil. The damage was that extensive." Kay closed her eyes.

His voice was quiet. "How is she taking it?"

A sigh. "I don't know. You saw her, she seems fine, but I don't know how she can be. She has no family." A pause. "She's alone." Perhaps that is what struck her and prompted her to visit the woman. Her background check had come up clean except for the incident that had led to her paraplegia and that was hardly her fault. She had a practice south of Perth and a steady client base in partnership with another doctor. She was managing.

But there was something...

His fingers touched her cheek, trailing down to her jawline. She turned and kissed their tips before leaning into his hand and closing her eyes. "She shouldn't be alone."

Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. "Then invite her over for Christmas."

She stared at him. "Really?"

He stared back. "Why not? You've done the background check. If you're concerned, ask Penny to double check for you."

"She will need medical support."

"Scott will be needing the same." He brushed her hair away from her face. "We can ask Andre to bring his partner. He'll jump at the chance."

He was right. Andre would love to spend Christmas with the Tracys. Even better if he could bring Cecil with him. "You would risk Cecil and Gordon in the same mile radius for an extended period of time?"

"Gordon will behave. Penny will be here."

"Point taken." She bit her lip.

"C'mon, love, you can invite a friend over for Christmas. This isn't Fort Knox."

She stared up into his chocolate eyes. Concern sat under a slight frown. She reached up and drew him back down to her side, wrapping her arms around him, bringing his head back to rest on her chest again. "Love you."

"That's because I'm very lovable." He smiled into her skin.

A gentle tap on the shoulder was enough to get her reply to that communicated.

His smile widened. "Love you, too."

Her thoughts turned back to Em sitting up in bed, verbally sparring with her brother.

Well, it would be interesting. Friend? She hardly knew the woman. But that could be changed. Something about Em Harris drew Kay towards her. She had saved her brother, but that wasn't the only factor.

She stroked Virgil's hair and let her thoughts take her.

-o-o-o-

"Oh, c'mon, you have got to be kidding me."

Kay peered around the door of Em's room. The woman was sitting up in bed glaring at her tablet.

"In no way is that a plausible argument, Scott Tracy. Not in a million years."

She couldn't quite hear her brother's answer.

"Well, I prefer a little sense over a lot of fantasy." More strong, but unintelligible words from the tablet. "Yeah, well, that's a fool's argument."

Kayo blinked, suddenly glad she had left Virgil down at the cafe getting them coffee.

"Fine. Be that way." Em caught sight of her. The frown turned immediately to a grin. "Hah! I have re-enforcements! Kayo, come and tell your doofus of a brother that 'The Force' is not the answer to everything."

Another blink and a sigh of relief. "You'll need to speak to John about 'The Force', though you may want to book yourself out for a day or two, he has a ten thousand word essay on it." She waved a hand in the direction of the tablet. "The reason sits before you."

Em snorted. "Yeah, well, this one can rave about Star Wars as much as he likes. Trek still trumps it."

And yes, she had her arms crossed in front of her and the glare was back.

"You definitely need to speak to John. He's been a Trekkie all his life."

"Kayo, there is no way you are teaming those two up." Scott's voice was small coming from the tablet's speakers, but his tone was still alarmed.

She stepped into the video pickup. "My dear brother, I will do what I need to do."

He glared at her. "Han Solo could so kick Jim Kirk's ass."

A snort. "Don't aim your arguments at me, Scott. Remember the Spock vs Chewbacca vs Virgil debate?"

He shut up, but Em straightened up next to her. "Oh, I'd like to hear this one."

She grinned. "Again, you should speak to John and start with the Kirk vs Picard vs Scott discussion. It is the first in the series." Her grin widened as Scott groaned.

"Okay, that's it. I don't need to listen to this. You 'girls' can go play now. I'm going to go and watch a real movie."

To Kayo's surprise, Em stuck her tongue out at her brother. "See you when boredom strikes."

He grunted at her, but there was a glint of humour in his eyes and he smiled just before he cut the connection.

Kayo stared at the tablet a moment before turning her gaze to Em. "He been bothering you?"

The doctor grinned. "No, he is rather entertaining when he wants to be."

A raised eyebrow. Oh, yes, the Scott Tracy charm was well at work. Kayo took a seat beside the bed. "And how are you, Em?"

The grin faltered, but stayed in place. "As best I can be. I can't ask for more than that." She straightened. "How is Virgil?"

Okay, so Virgil was going to be a deflection from her own issues. "You can ask him yourself." And on cue, her fiancé knocked gently on the door, three coffees in a cup holder in one hand. "I bring sustenance of the gods." He held up a large paper bag. "And muffins."

"Yes, there are three members of our relationship. Myself, Virgil and coffee. Coffee gets him on early mornings with no competition."

"Hey."

She smirked. "Em, this is my fiancé, Virgil Tracy. Virgil, this is Em Harris."

Virgil fumbled the muffins into Kayo's lap as Em held out her hand. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Virgil."

"Likewise. I hear you've been saving the hospital staff from the cranky Tracy."

A smile. "He's been entertaining."

Virgil deposited the coffee tray on her bed table and handed one first to Em, then to Kay before taking the last one for himself and grabbing a chair. "That is not a word I have heard in relation to a convalescing Scott Tracy, ever." A sip of his coffee, and, yes, there was that expression she only saw at one other time.

There was definitely a third member in their relationship.

Kayo placed the muffins on the table. "I hope you don't mind us dropping in unannounced."

"No, you are welcome. I'm happy to have the company." She placed the coffee back on the table, untouched. "Actually, I was going to contact you."

"Oh?"

Em turned to Virgil. "You were injured about six months ago?"

Virgil froze, suddenly wary.

Em held up her hand. "No, don't worry, I haven't been spying on you or anything. Scott gave me a little detail."

"He did, did he?"

Uh oh. She reached out and placed a hand on Virgil's knee. "He didn't say much, love. Just that you were injured six months ago and your ribs were broken." She looked back at the doctor, whose eyes had widened. "Em ascertained most of that herself anyway."

Brown eyes hit pale blue. "How?"

"By watching you. It is subtle, but you are favouring your right side, even now." Virgil self-consciously straightened and a faint wince flickered across his face. "And there you have it."

-o-o-o-

She watched the man slump slightly in defeat. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be intrusive, but I want to help. I don't know enough detail as yet, but I would like to assess you and see if something can be done." She lowered her voice a little. "You shouldn't have to be walking around in pain all the time."

Her eyes darted between the couple. There was no way she was going to admit that she and Kayo had planned this. When Kayo had asked for specialist recommendations, Em had simply volunteered herself. Sure, she couldn't practise from a hospital bed, but she wouldn't be here for much longer and Virgil needed help.

It was the least she could do.

But Virgil was eyeing Kayo. "See a specialist in the morning, huh?"

Kayo didn't flinch, her expression remained the same. "I didn't lie."

"I didn't say you did." He sighed. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"I will need your medical records at some point, but in the meantime, if you could give me some background, it would be a start."

So, for the next fifteen minutes she learnt about how the two rescue operatives had fallen off a mountain and Virgil had gouged himself up his right side. With prompting from Kayo and with the room's door secured, he unbuttoned his linen shirt and she got an eyeful of the massive scarring down his right side.

"My god, Virgil." Okay, it wasn't professional of her to say such a thing, but bloody hell. There were scars on top of scars. How much did this family have to pay to rescue all those people? She swallowed. He was staring down at her, an oddly hurt expression on his face. Shit, she should know better, sitting here with both her legs missing. Crap, damn...oh, hell. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." And suddenly there were tears on her face. Shit, not now!

"Em." There were hands on her shoulders. "Take a deep breath." And that same man, the man with all those scars, was looking at her with kind, calm eyes. "It's okay. You're okay."

No, she wasn't okay. She was far from okay. Losing it in a simple consultation? It wasn't like she hadn't seen worse. Look at herself for example.

Was that sob one of self pity?

Screw it.

"I'm sorry." She took that deep breath, another, and forced it out with a trembling sigh. "I'm okay."

He was rubbing her shoulders gently. Kayo was pouring a cup of water.

Mortification set in. Oh, god.

Kayo handed her the drink and Virgil sat back giving her space. She took a long drink and hid behind the plastic cup.

She cleared her throat. "So, I guess I shouldn't consult while in hospital." A half-hearted smile.

"It is completely understandable." His rich baritone spoke only to reassure. She could imagine him using the same tone while rescuing terrified people.

Was she terrified people?

Maybe she was.

"Though I have to say that isn't the reaction I'm used to when I take off my shirt." There was a lopsided smirk. "I guess my bikini days are over."

It worked. She couldn't help but smile just a little. If only it hadn't been at his expense.

"I can help you." She forced strength back into her voice. She was Em Bloody Harris the survivor. Get over it already. Another deep breath. "We can at least start some scar massage and I will look into exercises that might help. I presume you had some exercises prescribed?" He nodded. "If you could give me the detail, I'll look into alternatives. I have no doubt you've kept up the routine?"

"When not interrupted by call outs, yes."

"Well, they don't appear to be working as well as they could. Give me details and I will adjust the prescription accordingly." Another breath. "After I'm out of here." A forced weak smile.

He reached out and touched her hand. He was a very tactile man "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do."

He frowned. "You don't owe us anything, Em. You don't have to do this."

She looked up at him. "Kayo and Scott weren't the only people you saved from that hole, Virgil. I have the right to thank you and I will do so in the best way I can." She straightened her spine just a little. "Even if I have to conspire with your wife-to-be to do so."

And that did it. A small smile spread slowly across his features. "I'm going to regret this aren't I?"

He eyed Kayo and she smiled smartly back at him. "Possibly."

Pushing back the chair, he stood up. "Okay, with that I'm making a strategic retreat." He held up a hand as if to fend them off. "Thank you, Doctor Em. Your conspiracy worked, I will do your bidding. Kay? You and I will have words later." The words were serious, but the tone was light. When Kayo's grin widened into a laugh, Em found herself smiling.

"I will be with Scott, likely commiserating, if you need me." And buttoning his shirt, he left.

-o-o-o-

End Part Four


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Five

Author: Gumnut

23 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 1986

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 A little shorter than usual, but at least you get it in one day instead of having to wait several and besides, it stopped itself there. More conversations in this. I promise the rest of the boys will make an appearance soon. I was pondering a situation at the end involving John, but I figured you'd all kill me if I put a hole in TB5 or crashed TB3, so I didn't :D I hope you realise how much effort is being put in to not blow anything up here :D Many, many thanks for all your wonderful support and particularly regarding Em. I wasn't sure how well I could write her, but I've received lots of very kind comments, so thank you ever so much ::giant group hug::

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Virgil shook himself once he made it into the hallway. He wasn't sure how he felt about it all, other than he was definitely going to have words with his brother.

Kay seemed to be forming a friendship with the doctor and as far as he was concerned, that was something to be encouraged, despite the conspiracies likely in his future. He had wondered for years if locking themselves away on an island was a good thing, particularly for his sister and grandmother. The socialising options were almost non-existent.

He frowned. In fact, he couldn't recall Kay making any real connections with anyone since they had moved out there. Except perhaps Penny. Was that healthy? But then he hadn't made any connections himself either. A sigh. Yet another sacrifice for International Rescue.

Skipping two floors and a couple of corridors, he approached Scott's room. Jeremy was on duty today and Virgil smiled as the security guard held out the portable hand scanner. It could be considered ridiculous to go to this level of security, but when the Hood fools you once, you do your best to prevent it from happening again. The man's death hadn't changed Tracy security standard. Kayo wouldn't allow it.

After confirming his biological identity, Virgil pulled his iR ident card out of his pocket and flashed it across the hospital's security panel. The door slid silently open.

The room inside was dark. Virgil slipped in quietly, not wanting to disturb Scott if he was asleep.

Sleep was the main reason why his brother was so cranky in hospital. He found it almost impossible to get enough rest. Ever the light sleeper Scott would wake at the smallest disturbance. Whether it was years as a pseudo-parent to his younger siblings or as an acquired response due to the Air Force or International Rescue, his big brother could go from a dead sleep to fully alert in a split second. Useful as an emergency responder, a pain in the ass in hospital.

Virgil stepped lightly across the room to the chair beside his brother's bed and sure enough, the older man was asleep. Scott's hair was in his eyes and he lay on his right side, his left arm in a cast draped over his chest, keeping it clear of the injury in his abdomen. Virgil let out a breath and sat down as quietly as he could. He didn't often see Scott asleep. Scott unconscious, yes, simply sleeping? It was rare to actually be able to approach him without waking him. The fact he wasn't currently awake now was likely because the man was ill, medicated and exhausted.

Sliding his tablet from his back pocket, he sent a text to Kay and settled down to read his latest issue of Engineering International.

-o-o-o-

After Virgil left, the room was silent until Em broke it with a sigh. "I'm sorry I did that. Didn't mean to blubber all over your fiancé."

Kayo sat up straighter in her seat. "You've been through a lot. Be patient with yourself."

"It shouldn't matter. It's not like I have lost anything I haven't already lost."

Kayo bit back a reply. The doctor obviously wasn't ready to face the issue. "Give it time."

Em didn't answer, but looked away a moment before turning back, her expression calmer. "How is he really?"

Kayo blinked. "Virgil?" Em nodded. "His usual stubborn self. Why?"

"He comes across as a man who hides his concerns from others."

Thoughtful. "Virgil...Virgil thinks he is protecting others from himself." The idiot. "It's a Tracy genetic fault."

Em smiled. "So, I should expect similar from his brothers?"

"Oh, probably, with unique variations. Alan, you will find on the floor somewhere before he admits to it. Gordon is a drama queen. He'll joke about breaking limbs before he admits to having broken one. John, well, where is John? Yes, he has admitted himself to hospital when you weren't looking. And Scott? He'll ask you 'What injury?' while picking pieces of himself off the floor."

Em stared. "You really grew up with these guys, didn't you."

"Oh, yes. Yes I did."

"Stressful?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." She grinned and Em grinned back.

Silence fell for a moment and the doctor's expression grew thoughtful. "Do they get injured a lot?"

That sobered Kayo. "Sometimes. It is risky work."

"What about you?"

She shrugged. "A few times."

"How do you cope?"

Kayo thought a moment. "We're family. We make do."

"But last time was different." It wasn't a question.

Kayo straightened her face, not really willing to speak about it. "He nearly died. Wasn't the first time." But it was the closest.

Em appeared to realise she was stepping on intensely private territory. "I'm sorry, it is none of my business. I just...I want to understand." She frowned. "Why do you do it?"

"International Rescue?" Em nodded. "Because when you cry for help you need to know that there is someone out there who will answer." It was almost a motto.

"But why you? Why your family? You sacrifice so much."

"Who else is there? Should we step back and let someone else make the sacrifices? Somebody has to do it. We can, so we do." A breath. "Why did you become a doctor?"

A small smile. "To help people."

"There you go."

Em looked down at the hands in the remains of her lap. "I will do everything I can to help Virgil, Kayo. I promise."

Kayo smiled. "I had no doubt you would.

-o-o-o-

Some idiot in Brazil was making claims to have solved the relative ion versus reaction problem in fuel synthesizers again on page four. God, did any of these guys check their facts. Virgil had already assessed all six of those ratios for viability and they had all failed. The answer lay not in the ratio but in the temperature. He and Brains had their synthesizers churning out fuel at three times the premium rate. They had to. They needed the quantity and the speed.

"Growling at your magazines again?"

Virgil looked up to find his brother smirking at him. "Did I wake you?"

"No." A pause. "Well, maybe." A one shouldered shrug.

"Sorry."

"Eh, not your fault." He looked about. "Where's Kayo?"

"With Em."

"Oh."

"Uh huh." He hesitated a moment, but then jumped in. "What's with you telling her I was injured?"

"Uh." And Scott was struggling to sit himself up. Virgil stood and helped his brother into an upright position. "Shit, that hurts."

"Here, hold still while I shove this pillow...there. There you go. Comfortable?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Well?" Virgil sat back down.

"Well, what?"

"Why did you tell her I was injured? She told Kay."

"I didn't have to tell her. She asked me. Apparently, you've been favouring your right side and she noticed." Virgil stared at him. "She was worried."

"Sure."

"It's what happened!"

"Yeah, well, now Kay's worried. I didn't want to worry her."

"Worried about what?" And Scott was frowning at him. "What exactly is wrong with you?"

Oh, crap.

"Nothing!" His big brother glared at him. "Nothing much."

"Virgil."

"It's just a little ache."

"Bullshit."

"Scott-"

"You lie to me one more time and I'll ground you until I get a medical report."

"We can't afford to do that."

"I will not have you flying injured, Virgil! I don't give a shit how little that injury is. Damnit, you almost died. Don't you dare do that to me again!"

Hell. "Scott, calm down. I'm fine, honest. Just some aching muscle and puckered scars, that's all." He reached out and grabbed his brother's shoulder. "I'm okay. Em's going to help me with treatment."

Scott stared up at him and Virgil could see the effects of medication in his eyes. Scott didn't react quite like Virgil, falling asleep rather than confessing all his secrets, but it did make him a little more emotional. "Honest, Scott. I'm okay."

"You better be."

"I am. Unlike you."

His brother's shoulders slumped under his fingers.

Virgil sighed. "Hey." He squeezed gently.

"What?"

"You'll get to go home soon."

"Yeah." He swallowed. "Look after yourself, Virg. Please."

"I do."

Scott didn't answer.

Virgil sighed, and let go of his brother, grabbing the chair and dragging it closer to the bed before sitting down. He dropped his elbows onto the bed and his chin onto his hands. "I think we're in trouble."

"What?"

"Kay's making friends with Em as we speak."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Wants to invite her over for Christmas."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. They've already cornered me. You'll be next. She's a doctor. With Kay in her back pocket, we're doomed."

Scott snorted, smirked, and started laughing.

Virgil looked up at him. "What's so funny? I thought you were cranky."

"You. You are so screwed."

"Hah! Thanks." He glared. "Remember you've got rehab ahead of you."

"Crap."

"Oh yeah. We're totally screwed."

-o-o-o-

"Do you have any plans after leaving the hospital?"

Kayo's expression was a polite enquiry, but Em sensed she had more to say. "I'll go home, I guess. Get myself set up with a new array of mobility devices. I'm thinking maybe a hoverscoot rather than the chair. Less bulk."

"What about Christmas?"

Em shrugged. "Can't say I feel like celebrating this year." At Kayo's concerned expression, she hurried to amend. "Don't worry, I'll get over it. I'll be okay."

"Yes, Virgil." And Kayo was glaring at her.

"Okay, fine. Do you have any better suggestions?"

"I was thinking you could join us on Tracy Island."

Em blinked and stared. "What?"

An arched eyebrow. "Would you like to join us for Christmas?"

"Go out and stay on Tracy Island, the super secret base of International Rescue and the Thunderbirds?"

"Of course, we'd have to blindfold you and drug you on the way over."

Em stared.

"I'm kidding."

"Oh."

Kayo was smiling at her, not unkindly. "You would be very welcome."

The thought filled her with amazement. The whole star struck feeling wrapping around her brain and buzzing her out. It was an amazing opportunity. She could thank Alan for his assistance. Meet the other brothers. Maybe see a Thunderbird. Finally meet Scott without him bleeding all over her.

That last cleared the fuzz. She had been enjoying talking to him. He had an interesting sense of humour and a lovely smile. Those eyes...

She shook herself. What the hell was she thinking? Look at yourself, Emaline. You're a mess.

"Em? Are you okay?"

She forced a smile. "Um, thank you so much. I never expected...can I think about it?"

Kayo frowned a little. "Of course. Are you sure you are okay?"

"I'm good." And she suddenly wanted to be alone. To think or to cry, she wasn't sure. Probably both.

The woman's green eyes obviously didn't believe her. "We're not all that scary, you know."

"It's not you." And she realised she had admitted there was a problem. Damn. At the inevitable arched eyebrow. "It's me. I just...let me think about it. Please."

Kayo reached out and took Em's hand, holding it between her palms. Her skin was soft and her touch gentle. "Em, I know it sounds like a big ask. A bit dazzling perhaps. But really, we are just a family inviting you over for Christmas. Grandma can't cook, so don't eat anything she offers you. Virgil can bake and barbecue a great steak. Scott will burn the burgers, but he pours a good wine. Gordon may stick tinsel down the back of your shirt, but you have my permission to thump him. We...I would like your company. No expectations, just a time to relax and enjoy good conversation."

Em stared at her and her voice came out small. "Okay."

A genuine smile spread across Kayo's face. It lit up her features. She squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you."

Oh, shit, she'd just said yes.

Bloody hell.

-o-o-o-

End Part Five


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Six

Author: Gumnut

24 - 26 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2937

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 I had so much fun with this one sitting on my back porch on a gorgeous sunny day. Many thanks to both Scribbs and the-lady-razorsharp for help on this bit. Next chapter is half written and I'm still having fun :D I hope you enjoy this fic that has a mind of its own.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

It was like some kind of daydream caught in a whirlwind.

The week had passed with medical consultations and chats with Scott over the network. His eyes lit up when he smartly inquired about Kayo asking her to Tracy Island.

"So you coming?" Was that expression hopeful?

"I'm considering it." She bit back a grin. Why should she make it easy?

His eyes narrowed at her. "What could I offer to entice you?"

"Oh, you'd like to entice me, would you, flyboy?"

He really did have a beautiful smile. "I think I could."

"Then entice away."

He posed thoughtfully. "Now what would a gorgeous looking young woman like yourself find attractive on a tropical island. Let me think." He tapped his lips with a finger.

She choked on a laugh. "Really?"

He held up a finger as if struck by a thought. "Marshmallows. We have the biggest, fluffiest marshmallows in the Southern Hemisphere. Absolutely delicious roasted over a slow fire." He licked his lips.

Her eyes almost fell out of her head. "Scott Tracy, you are a flirt."

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"And brazen about it."

"Do you mind?"

That brought her up short, but she didn't hesitate. "I think I can handle it." And she was grinning.

His voice dropped an octave. "Good."

She shivered.

Wow.

She still got one over him. He never did find out if she was coming to visit or not. She held him at arms length the entire week, taunting him.

He seemed to enjoy it.

Kayo picked up the game and swore Virgil to secrecy. Virgil threw up his hands and refused to be drawn in to any of it. The fact he was called out to a rescue two minutes later aided and abetted her little conspiracy.

Scott left the hospital two days before she did. Now it was her turn and she found herself aboard the Tracys' private jet, all leather and luxury. Virgil was flying while Kayo attended to her, and it was just the three of them flying over the stark red brown landscape of the Australian Outback.

She had luggage, a new hoverscoot, and a belly full of butterflies. There were popular rumours about where exactly Tracy Island was and what you would find if you ever managed to actually get there. Mansions, a secret city…heh, one website claimed Tracy Island was on the other side of a wormhole somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Another claimed it was easy to find by tracking birdlife.

Em didn't really know what to think. The concept of a tropical island was steeped in stereotypes in any case. Perhaps palm trees would be present. The rest was likely up for grabs.

Kayo sat opposite her, occasionally looking at her with just a touch of concern. Em hadn't said much since they had left Perth airport and she probably looked terrified.

For crying out loud, you're a fully qualified professional, you've faced down much more in your life than a family of billionaires. Hell, she once stared down a patient holding a knife in her face. She was Em Bloody Harris, stop being such a wimp.

A little focus and a little spine.

She straightened and Kayo looked up. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you." Conversation. "Are you all pilots?" A frown. "Do you fly?"

A small smile crept across Kayo's face. "Yes, and I most certainly do. Though I'm not surprised you haven't heard of my Thunderbird."

Em's eyes widened. "You pilot a Thunderbird? Which one?"

"Thunderbird Shadow."

The Thunderbirds were well known across the world as angels of mercy. They appeared at the most desperate moments, often long before any other rescue organisation could possibly have made it. There was the grey, blue and red rocket plane, the green behemoth that nursed all the equipment, a red rocket, a yellow submarine and the Voice Who Answered. There was also rumour of another plane, but sightings were rare and little was known about it. Em's eyes widened. "You're the ghost Thunderbird."

The smile widened just a touch. "You could say that. We take our security very seriously."

"Yet you've invited me."

Kayo raised an eyebrow. "You checked out."

It was hard to work out how to feel about that.

"Em, I don't invite on whim. I thought you would like to visit and I know I will enjoy your company. The background check was just procedure."

Em dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. "Please don't tell them. They don't need to know."

She could tell by the security specialist's reaction that she knew exactly what she was talking about. Equally quiet. "They won't hear it from me."

"I don't blame International Rescue. It wasn't your fault. The only one deserving blame was the bastard who caused it all. I hope he rots in hell."

"He is."

Em stared at her. "He's dead?"

Kayo's expression was horribly cold. "Yes."

"How?"

"Classified."

Blink. "Okay." She swallowed. "I hope he suffered."

The other woman didn't answer, but something sad flickered briefly over her face.

"It is awfully quiet in here. Should I be worried? You two aren't plotting a mutiny or anything, I hope."

It was like a switch had been flicked. Kayo's expression changed completely, smiling up at Virgil as he entered the cabin. "No need for a mutiny, love. I have plenty of other ways to get what I want."

Virgil didn't quite roll his eyes, walking past to grab a drink from the fridge. "Can I get you anything?" He waved a bottle of water in their general direction.

"No, thank you." They chorused together.

Virgil looked back over his shoulder. "Do you have any idea how creepy that sounds?"

Em bit her lip, but couldn't help parroting the sweet innocent smile Kayo sent her fiancé's way.

His gaze darted back and forth between them, more alarmed by the moment. "Okay, I'll just be upfront piloting the plane. Don't summon the devil by accident." And he stepped smartly back into the cockpit.

Em turned to Kayo to find the woman fighting back a grin. Em's lips twisted as their eyes locked. A heartbeat and they both burst out laughing.

-o-o-o-

"Skies are clear, winds 20kph and from the south. You are cleared to land, Tracy Two."

Through the open patio doors, John could hear the distant engagement of T2's VTOL. Nowhere near as loud as her Thunderbird sisters, but strong enough to lower her safely onto Thunderbird Two's runway.

He estimated no more than fifteen minutes before Kayo and their visitor would arrive in the lounge.

Sooner the better before Scott burnt out Thunderbird imPatient's hover jets with his irrational 'pacing'.

The slickly repainted hover chair now sported a pale blue-grey chassis with a slash of cherry red and sky blue down each side. The number one had been neatly inscribed in Thunderbird font on both sides. How Virgil had fit it in the last three weeks, John had no idea.

They had been horribly busy. Alan had been forced to take on Thunderbird One much to Scott's annoyance. They simply could not function without her. As it was, Virgil had been burning most days at both ends, between rescues, hospital visits, and Tracy Industries on top of his regular duties.

They had only just gotten back to rhythm after Virgil's accident. Now they were a man down yet again for at least another two months, probably more.

At Christmas.

Christmas never failed to increase the need for International Rescue. It was called the silly season for a reason. The collective IQ of the planet appeared to drop around this time of year, regardless of religion. If John could believe in astrology, he might have been inclined to blame the cosmos, but in reality it was often just stupidity.

At the moment he was seriously considering leaving the missing fishing boat caught in a cyclone off Broome, in the north of Western Australia, to the local authorities. They should never have been out, they had received clear warning, and yet had gone out anyway.

But IR's sensory systems were far more advanced than any other. He had already interfaced with TB5 in an attempt to short cut a location, but the electrical activity in the cyclone denied him a lock at that distance. Thunderbird Two should be able to get a fix on the fishing boat's transponder within a few hundred kilometres and with TB4 on board she should be able to render any assistance required.

He watched Virgil bring the light jet into land smoothly knowing that in a moment he would have to ask his brother to fly out again.

Gordon was already on his way to the hangar.

And Scott was spinning around in circles.

"You're going to make yourself sick."

"I can take eight Gs in a spiral dive. This is nothing."

"Fine, but can you stop anyway?"

His big brother sighed and slowed to a standstill, staring at the toes of his left foot, stuck out awkwardly in front of him.

Over the last hour John had become acutely aware that something was bothering his brother above and beyond his injuries and resultant incapacitation. He had become fidgety, restless and agitated. It was out of character. Scott was a ball of energy at most times, but it was controlled energy, channelled and targeted at need.

Apparently, he had sprung a leak and, like a dropped garden hose, was bouncing around the room, out of control.

"Is there something wrong, Scott?"

"No." Sharp and abrupt and so obviously a lie, John was almost insulted his brother thought it would work at all.

"Could have fooled me."

"What?" He was poking distractedly at TB imPatient's controls. The hoverchair did a sudden donut and backed ungracefully down the steps into the sunken lounge.

"Can you please not kill yourself on my watch. Virgil would be pissed." That usually meant a pissed Kayo, never a good thing.

It was so much more peaceful in space. In space there was a comms off switch.

-o-o-o-

One minute there was a massive expanse of Pacific Ocean, next an island appeared out of nowhere.

Em stared out of the window at the dual spiked volcanic rock in the middle of blue water. As they drew nearer, she could make out the remains of the volcanic caldera, the hints of coral beneath the lagoon and the house amongst the rocks.

As the jet angled into land, her side of the plane dipped towards the ocean giving her a stunning view of the little island paradise. Knowing the pilot, probably on purpose.

Yes, there were definitely palm trees.

"Wow."

Kayo smiled at her. "It's home."

The runway came into view, lined by palm trees. Em frowned. That didn't quite look long enough...or wide enough. "K-"

The underside of the plane echoed mechanical movement, and a sudden roar above that of the jet engines started up. Their speed dropped off abruptly and Em felt her stomach shift inside her. The nose of the plane lifted and they descended vertically.

Kayo was watching for her reaction.

Em arched an eyebrow. "So not your average personal jet?"

The other woman smirked a little. "I'm sorry, but you'll find that the Tracys don't do 'average'." Was that pride? Perhaps just a little?

Em couldn't help but grin.

Several butterflies were firmly stomped on.

Their speed slowed to almost a standstill as the ground approached, the jet hovering before gently touching down on the tarmac. Then, to her surprise, the jet's wings folded back on themselves and they taxied between two lines of palm trees towards a cliff face.

She couldn't quite see from her angle, but it appeared the cliff opened because moments later they were trundling through an entrance.

And past the massive bulk of Thunderbird Two.

She couldn't help but stare.

"Damn."

It was whispered, but Em heard it anyway. Kayo was up and out of her seat in the next breath and disappeared into the cockpit without another word.

Em was left to frown a little and stare at the giant green plane as the jet slowed to a stop in its hanger off to one side.

Thunderbird Two was high up on its landing struts, but as their jet came to a halt, there was a rumble of machinery and a chain of green cargo crates trundled past. One labelled with the number four settled beneath the giant green plane and the craft lowered, swallowing the crate whole.

Thunderbird Two was even larger that touch closer.

Kayo entered the cabin once again, her expression annoyed. "Virgil needs to fly out." It was very clear the woman was not happy. "Some idiot went fishing in a cyclone."

Virgil Tracy flew Thunderbird Two. It was well known. But now she had met the pilot she had trouble reconciling the kindly man with the gentle baritone, the soft smile and so much expression in his eyes every time he looked at Kayo, with the image of the superhero rescue operative of popular myth. He wasn't what she expected.

But then a mental image of the saviour wrapped in metal, tossing brickwork with giant claws, as he busted into that hole beneath the collapsed hotel in Perth, flashed up.

Well, Superman did have his Clark Kent.

There was a hiss as Kayo enabled the cabin exit, an apparently automated set of stairs rolling into place. Virgil hurried from the cockpit, flashing her a quick smile before pausing in front of Kayo, his hands landing on her shoulders. Em looked away to give them privacy as he leant down to kiss her.

A whispered 'fly safe' and his boots hit the metal stairwell.

Moments later, the hanger was filled with the stirring roar of Thunderbird Two's engines and she watched as the behemoth taxied out into the daylight. She couldn't see the runway from where she sat and she had no idea how the huge plane managed on such a narrow tarmac, but seconds later, that roar swelled into a crescendo and the plane around her vibrated with the power being expended as the craft no doubt launched.

As the roar disappeared off into the distance, she looked up to see Kayo still standing at the exit, her back to Em.

"Kayo, are you okay?"

"Fine." And the woman turned around a smile forced onto her face.

"Yes, Virgil."

That earned her a glare. "Let's get off this plane."

That shut down the conversation. Em tried her best not to take it personally. It was obvious that Kayo wasn't used to sharing her problems and honestly, it wasn't any of her business.

Not much was said as Kayo helped her into her hoverscoot. The device was a smaller version of the hoverchair, less bulky now she had no legs to support. It had variable height so she could look a person in the eye if necessary. The harness supported her back, keeping her upright, while the remains of her legs were cushioned with anti-pressure in the small seat. She had chosen to wear what would have been a knee length summer dress today, the convenience of covering up her injury taken to full advantage, her stumps wrapped in soft socks beneath. The sleeveless dress hugged her overall slim figure, and was appropriate for the tropical clime

This was made abundantly apparent the moment she descended the stairs into the hanger. The hanger doors had since closed, the metal structure towering above her. In fact, the entire hanger was massive. But where she would have thought the air should be cool, it was gently warm, perhaps a remnant of the recent exposure to the outside.

Saltwater lingered in the air.

The cavern echoed with smoothly operating machinery. Some kind of automaton was interfacing with the cargo section of their jet and offloading their luggage and in the distance there was more movement of an unknown purpose. Kayo secured the plane before joining her and leading her over to an elevator.

"Gordon left with Virgil, but Scott, John and Alan are upstairs." Kayo shot her a smile and Em managed to corral the butterflies just a little. "Did Scott ever work out whether you were coming today or not?"

"Heh." Okay, so she was grinning now. "I strung him along quite nicely. He offered me all kinds of things to get me out here."

Kayo actually let out a laugh. "Really?"

"I think the last offer was a Lamborghini." Not that she would ever accept such a thing, it was hilarious to play the man.

"He offered you a Lambo?" A frown. "What colour?"

"Oh, I had a choice. Green or yellow."

"Hah. Don't trust him. He's offering you Virgil or Gordon's."

Em's eyes widened. "Really? You have Lamborghinis?"

Kayo snorted. "They're boys. Did you expect anything less?"

She thought a moment as the elevator rose. "I don't know. I never considered luxury in relation to International Rescue."

The elevator slowed a moment before changing trajectory and travelling up at an angle. The movement was so smooth, her 'scoot hardly reacted.

"Oh, they work for it, but the boys do have their toys." Kayo's smile was infectious.

"I told him I would only consider a blue one." It had been teasing and off the cuff, but those eyes of his prompted everything.

"Points to you, Em. You picked his colour."

And the elevator slowed to a smooth stop. She barely had chance to think before the doors opened and Kayo led her into a large lounge area.

Just in time to see Scott Tracy collide with a wall.

-o-o-o-

End Part Six.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Seven

Author: Gumnut

26 - 27 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2017

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 Thank you all for all your support on this fic. You are wonderful.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Virgil could never be anything but awed at the power of Mother Nature. The massive swirl of cloud beneath them was one hell of a spectacle. Of course, it wasn't his first cyclone or hurricane, he had tackled many over the years, but each one had its own character.

And this one was big and angry.

"We're looking at a category four, verging on five." John hovered above the dash, sitting rather than his usual float due to his being earthbound. "Be careful." A frown. "And incidentally, your brother is an idiot."

"Hey!" This from Gordon in the co-pilot's seat.

John raised an eyebrow in his younger brother's direction. "I was referring to your big brother. Scott just ran himself into a wall."

Virgil was calculating his descent trajectory as the scanner located the fishing trawler floundering in the storm below. His head shot up. "What?!"

"Don't worry, Kayo's got him. He's fine. Update you when you get back."

"Thanks for that, John." His tone dripped sarcasm.

"Not a problem." The red head smirked. "Seriously, he's fine." In the background, a woman yelled, "You bloody idiot!" Another arched eyebrow. "Assuming our guest doesn't kill him."

Virgil had to grin at that. "Beginning descent now."

"Copy that." John's image flickered out leaving Virgil to concentrate on flying into the cyclone.

-o-o-o-

Em had a split second to see a room with a view, a massive Christmas tree, a desk and some portraits before her eyes latched on her patient barrelling up out of a central sunken lounge area directly into a stonework wall on the other side of the room.

He clipped his prone and broken leg causing the hoverchair to slew sideways, sending his entire left and damaged side into the stonework.

The room froze in shock.

Then she was moving.

Her hand activated the 'scoot's controls in her palm and she zipped around the curvature of the lounge and was at his side in a moment.

"Scott?" She lowered herself, reaching for him.

His eyes scrunched closed, but his right hand was reaching for his left arm. "Ouch." A blink, one eye opened and looked up at her. "Em?"

She stared at him. Her eyes tracked the length of his body, checking for further injury. "Are you okay?" She vaguely registered Kayo approaching from behind.

He wriggled in his seat as if checking. "Uh, yeah. I think so." An amused glance in her direction. "How are you?"

"How am I?" Her voice was faint even in her ears. His blue eyes sparkled up at her and the butterflies in her stomach went feral. She lost it. "You bloody idiot! How am I? What the hell do you think you are doing? Do you have any bloody idea how close you came to dying under that hotel? My god, Scott!"

The expression on his face faltered and he straightened up. His brow furrowed as he appeared to finally fully register her presence.

"It was an accident."

"What the hell were you doing? You can fly a Thunderbird, but you can't steer a bloody hover chair?"

"Well, when you put it like that." But his eyes latched onto her hoverscoot and he paled...for all of two seconds before looking up at her again. "Nice to finally meet you." The smile returned.

She spun on the spot and, turning her back to him, made her way around the lounge and out toward the view. She would be of better mind if she didn't have to contend with his charm.

Goddamnit, he'd scared her. And it scared her how much he had scared her with such a simple moment. She couldn't afford to be vulnerable right now. Too much to contend with. Maybe she shouldn't have come. No, she definitely shouldn't have come. She should have holed up at home and rebuilt her shields.

Behind her she heard a quiet Kayo. "You know she's right. You are a bloody idiot."

Okay so that made her smile just a little.

The sea breeze whipped up from the ocean below and she used it to calm her frazzled nerves. Closing her eyes, she forced her muscles to relax, slowed her beating heart and took a moment to just be.

The whir of his hoverchair slipped up beside her. "Can we start again?"

A swallow, keep it together. "I guess." She turned and looked down at him. He was all calm and politeness. A moment and she offered her hand. "Hi, I'm Em Harris. Very pleased to meet you."

He took her hand in a firm grip, his skin warm. That smile appeared again, but it was softer and more genuine. "Scott Tracy. And I'm very happy to finally meet you." His voice was as soft as his smile and she found herself drowning in his eyes.

She mentally shook herself, fighting the current. He still had her hand. "Are you going to introduce me to your brother or do I have to guess which one he is?"

He started at that and let her hand drop, peering over his shoulder. "John, come here."

The tall and slim red head rolled his eyes and stood up from behind the desk, walking over to join them on the balcony. He dipped his head in greeting and she was stunned by the flicker of green in his eyes. What was it with the Tracy genes? Primed for gorgeous eyes?

"Em, this is my middle brother, John Tracy."

She held out her hand and he took it gently. His skin was softer than Scott's, but equally as warm. "I'm very pleased to meet you."

John's smile was much more subtle than Scott's as well. "Likewise. Welcome to Tracy Island." His eyes darted back to the desk. "Please excuse me, I'm on duty." He took a step back inside before turning back to his brother. "You might want to give Em a tour, Scott."

To her surprise, Scott started and blinked. "What? Oh, yes, of course." He shot her a smile, but it was distracted.

She frowned.

But suddenly that genuine soft smile was back and he held out a hand. "Shall we?"

Turning to look back into the lounge, she spotted Kayo. The woman smiled at her and nodded. Okay, in for a penny, in for a pound. At least if she was following him around he wasn't colliding with any more walls.

She reached out and took that hand.

It was still wonderfully warm.

"Lead on."

-o-o-o-

Virgil clung to the yoke as the cyclone attempted to throw his 'bird into the ocean and she fought against the howling wind. It wouldn't have been a problem if he had been flying straight, but he had to hover and collect the module. His brother and the surviving fishermen were relying on him.

A nasty downdraft slapped them again and the ocean beneath attempted to reach up and grab him from the sky.

His clearance was limited by the length of his grapples and the swell was massive. He had managed the drop off easily enough, the module hitting the surface and rapidly submerging to a safe level where TB4 could disembark. The module's inbuilt engines and pumps kept it stable in the depths awaiting Gordon's return.

The aquanaut, with some swearing over the comms, had been able to save the three fishermen before their trawler took a plunge under the next mountainous wave. They all ended up wet, Gordon ended up furious, and now they were safe in the module, awaiting pickup just below the surface.

But the winds were hell, Virgil was tired, and, if he was honest, afraid. This was the one scenario with module deployment that had him scared he may not be able to do it. Mainly because if he couldn't, his brother could be lost. It all relied on Virgil catching that module in heaving seas and howling winds.

He wrenched on the yoke again and the whole right side of his ribcage twinged. Great. He did not have time for this.

"Whenever you are ready, Virgil."

He grit his teeth. "Doing my best, Gordon. This is a cyclone after all."

"FAB." At least his brother sounded suitably admonished.

He shunted altitude control over to autopilot, upped sensory response to wind velocity and took aim. Three green targets almost immediately. The fourth failed and within a second or two the other three followed and he had to reset the system.

Again.

An exhaled breath, his chest tight.

Two targets green, two red and targets lost.

"Goddamnit!"

He had to do this.

Reset.

Aim.

One target green.

'C'mon."

Three.

And four!

He fired.

They stayed green.

Oh, thank god. He immediately set the pumps in the module to shedding water as the grapples started pulling her to the surface. He had to be fast because his 'bird was now chained to the swell and she rose and dipped alarmingly as the autopilot calculated the distances.

He could almost feel the pumps grinding away below sloshing water, desperately doing their best to free the module of saltwater.

Of course, this was the very moment the ocean decided to throw a wall of that water at him. Suddenly his entire view was wrapped in turbulent whites and greys, TB2's own spotlights lighting it up for all to see.

Shiiiiiiiit!

He yanked on the yoke and TB2 screamed at the sudden power surge. Module Four was ripped from the ocean surface still half full, and caught immediately by the gale force cross winds. He struggled to gain altitude as the autopilot failed to compensate, desperate to clear the mountain of water bearing down on them.

He almost made it.

Water rushed across the bow of his 'bird, splashing the rain off his viewports. VTOL flickered, but it was the extra weight on the cables that set the dash screaming at him. There was suddenly a good twenty to thirty metres of saltwater between Thunderbird Two and her flailing module. Unbalanced, continually moving and heavy.

He froze the retrieval, desperate to relieve the strain on the grapples and let the wave move past.

It took forever.

Red lights strobes at him. Grapple two registered a loss of grip momentarily, scaring the bejesus out of him, before locking in green again.

Time hung in terror.

And the swell moved on.

Module Four swung once again in the gale.

Virgil struggled to take a breath.

The pumps churned out the remains of the saltwater as Two finally gained the necessary altitude, fighting the winds best enough to once again draw up and nest the module in her belly.

Heart still pounding, Virgil kicked in the rear thrusters and pushed her towards the cloud ceiling, breaking through finally into the clear air above.

The sudden absence of turbulence was startling.

Once free and steady, he programmed the autopilot to send them to Broome, a matter of minutes away, and took a moment for himself.

Oh god.

His heart was beating against his breastbone. He felt he couldn't breathe in enough oxygen.

Alone in the cockpit, he dropped his head towards his knees, ignoring the pain in his side at the position. He took strong steadying breaths, desperate to calm himself down.

"Virgil? Virgil!"

Gordon rushed over, but the engineer managed to get himself upright before his brother reached him. "I'm fine. 'S okay."

"You look like shit."

"Thanks." The sarcasm was there, but the energy wasn't.

"Are you sure, you're okay?" Gordon was frowning at him.

A deep breath that didn't quite feel deep enough, but it got strength back into his voice. "I'm fine. I should be asking you that question."

"Oh, that was some ride, Virg. We will need to replenish the sick bags in Four, though."

Virgil stared at his brother. Did he have any idea how close it had been?

Gordon stared back. "What?"

"This is Broome International Airport calling Thunderbird Two. You are clear for approach."

He blinked and turned back to his console.

Dump the dumb fishermen and go home.

That was all he had to do.

And ignore his trembling hands.

-o-o-o-

End Part Seven.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Eight

Author: Gumnut

27 - 28 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 3298

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 Many thanks to both scribbles97 and the-lady-razorsharp for their assistance on this chapter. This fic is different to anything I have ever written and it is teaching me much. Thank you for sharing this journey with me and for all your wonderful support.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

He didn't let go.

He kept her hand warm in his through the entire tour of the huge villa the Tracy family lived in. She didn't comment, simply enjoying his touch. She listened as he explained how the Island had become their home, how his father had a vision and the money and passion to see it all to reality.

He smiled at her, made her laugh and was genuinely charming.

And he still kept her hand.

She met Sally Tracy, the island's matriarch. The woman took one look at their clasped hands before wishing her the best and excusing herself on the flimsiest reason Em had ever heard.

Em also didn't miss the look the older woman sent her eldest grandson. Whatever she was trying to get across hit home because Em had the pleasure of watching Scott flush scarlet.

Apparently, there were things of which only grandmothers were capable.

He didn't comment, though, and shortly after they were in yet another elevator.

There was a silence and she looked at him sideways. His expression was thoughtful, staring at the wall, but so obviously not seeing it.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

He blinked and that smile came back. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh? Were they good thoughts?"

His lips quirked. "Most definitely." One of his fingers rubbed across the back of hers.

She arched an eyebrow, but before she could comment, the elevator doors opened and with a whir of hover jets, he led her out into a massive gallery.

One wall was entirely glass, at least two stories tall, and on both sides it curved around behind them.

The view drew her forward. They were at one of the highest points on the island. The villa lay sprawled below them, the caldera lagoon sparkling in the late afternoon light.

"God, it's beautiful."

"That it is."

She looked over at him. His eyes reflected the shine of the windows and just a little pride.

"You've accomplished so much."

His smile slipped crooked. "We do what we can."

"And you do it well."

He looked up at her at that, his eyes thoughtful, but he didn't say anything before returning his gaze to the view. "I owe you a thankyou."

She blinked. "You do?"

He looked at her again. "For our conversations in the hospital. They made my stay not only tolerable, but enjoyable." Again with the soft smile.

She grinned. "So, you planning on converting to Trekdom?"

A soft laugh. "Maybe. Though I will need a little more convincing."

"Oh?"

He let her hand go and reached up to touch her cheek. "I have wanted to touch you for days now." A finger moved to her temple and traced a line down her cheek bone across to the corner of her mouth. Her eyes closed as that finger brushed her bottom lip.

Warm breath and the finger was replaced by his lips, ever so gentle, asking, needing. She parted her own and let him in.

Oh.

His hand was on the back of her neck, tangled in her hair. Her hands found his shoulders, smooth muscle moving beneath her fingertips through the thin material of his shirt. His tongue...

And then he was gone.

She blinked, the air suddenly cold on her sensitive lips. What?

He was leaning forward, groaning.

Shit.

"Scott?"

"Ow, damnit."

He had been stretching his left side. Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, you silly bugger." Reaching over she helped him straighten up.

He sat back and panted through it. "Well, it's not easy being romantic with a hole in my gut."

She rolled her eyes and moved herself closer, brazen despite everything. Those gorgeous blue eyes were staring up at her. She would call them puppy-like except it would have to be a puppy with one hell of an attitude. A smile crept onto her lips. "Then perhaps you should call for help."

An arched eyebrow. "Help?"

She smiled, leant down and took his lips with hers. His response was immediate. His arm wrapped around her, drawing her close. His right hand, caught in its cast, hovered at her waist. His tongue brushed hers.

He tasted warm, an energy burning beneath a calm surface.

She gasped in air when they finally broke apart, her heart thudding in her ears.

His arm stayed around her waist, holding her to him and she bit her lip, reflecting the smile that spread across his face. He looked as if he was about to say something, but was interrupted by a distant roar.

Instinctively they both looked up just in time to see Thunderbird Two fire her VTOL, coming into land on the other side of the island. Immediately, she felt him tense, the Commander slipping into place.

His smile was considerably weaker when his eyes returned to hers. "Duty calls."

She felt daring, but she couldn't resist touching his face, echoing the line he had traced across hers, her finger brushing his lips.

A brush of her mouth against his and she pulled away.

He let her go, but caught her hand once more.

Nothing was said in the elevator, and she expressed no surprise that it deposited them directly into the lounge. They whirred as a pair into the room. John still sat at the desk, murmuring softly to someone over his comm, Kayo to one side of him, obviously on edge. Alan sat sprawled across one of the sunken lounges. He looked up as they entered and shot to his feet. "Doctor Harris!" His eyes landed on the hoverscoot and she saw the calculations wash through his mind. His brow crumpled and his shoulders slumped. "Oh, I am so sorry. I hadn't heard."

The hand in hers tightened.

-o-o-o-

Kayo leant against the edge of Jeff Tracy's desk, her hands gripping the Art Deco curves of wood involuntarily. It had been coincidental that she had been in the room the moment John had let out a rush of expletives in three different languages. She expected he hadn't realised she was there, far more used to monitor duty with only Eos for company.

But she was there, so she was standing at his shoulder when TB2's external cam's threw a wall of holographic seawater at them. She had stopped breathing as the camera had disappeared under that same water for a matter of solid seconds. Her eyes had tracked the readouts from Two's systems. She had seen how close it had been.

And the vitals signal from Virgil's uniform.

She only wanted him back in her arms, to check him over for herself.

Scott and Em entered the room hand in hand and were greeted by Alan, but she only paid them minimal attention as Virgil and Gordon, still in their uniforms, strode in from the elevator behind them.

She met him halfway and he smiled at her with tired eyes. Slipping an arm around his waist, she nudged him towards the lounge and took a seat beside him. He let the couch take his weight and lay his head back with a sigh.

In contrast, Gordon bounced down the steps to take his seat next to Alan, clapping his younger brother upside the head when he neglected to greet him, still frowning up at Em and Scott as the latter two made their way into the circle.

Brains entered from the direction of the kitchen, followed by Grandma, just as John stepped into the lounge from the desk.

Virgil's hand suddenly found hers and held it tight. She flicked a glance in his direction. Her fiancé was pale in the afternoon light, a concerned frown on his face as he watched John flick through the record of the mission and summarise it for discussion.

Two and Four's sensors recorded Gordon's rescue, his being dumped into the swirling ocean by one of the stupid fishermen and the resultant scuffle as he dragged the terrified man back to Four. Alan made a point of high-fiving Gordon with a yell of 'score!' Scott glared at the both of them enough to shut them up.

The sensor network recorded Four's safe transit far under the waves.

And they relayed what followed.

"Holy shit!" Gordon stared at the massive wave that almost engulfed Thunderbird Two and ate the module. They watched her VTOL flicker as she struggled to keep herself airborne. The module swung free from the water like a pendulum in the wind, staggering Two sideways. The Thunderbird's status flickered beneath the hologram, Virgil's desperate actions blatantly obvious.

Her hand tightened in his. His eyes were closed, head still draped over the back of the lounge.

As TB2 climbed out of the cyclone, John froze the recording. The silence in the room was ominous.

A soft baritone broke it. "Brains, we need to work out a better way to do that." Virgil didn't even bother to open his eyes. "Oh, and Two will need a thorough maintenance check. Those stresses were way over her tolerances."

Across the other side of the lounge, Scott had paled. Gordon's eyes looked as if they were about to fall out of their sockets. "Bro, that was close." His voice was a notch higher than usual.

"Yes, it was." And he straightened up, finally opening his eyes to look at his brothers. A snort. "Can I have tomorrow off?"

Tomorrow was Christmas Day, but no one answered him.

"Brains, we definitely need a much safer method to deploy and retrieve Thunderbird Four in storm conditions." Scott had recovered his composure, but his eyes hadn't left Virgil.

"I will get on to it immediately." She could see the cogs spinning in the engineer's mind already. No doubt she would find both him and Virgil buried in design work over the coming days.

This could never happen again.

John ran through the mission one more time, highlighting decisions that were made well, or could have had alternatives. Ultimately, the mission was marked a success, but with reservations for equipment improvements.

Gordon added his own note to the mission report at the end. "Virg's flying kicks ass."

Virgil snorted, but Kayo knew her younger brother was clearly unnerved at exactly how close it had been otherwise the compliment would never have been admitted.

The debrief was declared to be at an end and everyone began to disperse. John made his way back to his father's desk, and Gordon stood, claiming a hot shower was in his future. Walking past Virgil, he squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Thanks, Bro."

"Anytime." Virgil had let his head drop back against the couch again, his eyes closed once more.

Grandma nipped in and kissed him on the cheek and he smiled, her hand squeezing that same shoulder.

His eyes stayed closed.

Alan, to her surprise, stood and approached Em, the two of them talking quietly, as Scott whirred his way over to Virgil.

His voice was quiet. "Are you okay?"

Eyes still closed. "I'm fine, Scott. Just need a shower and a good night's sleep."

Predictably her older brother's lips thinned. "You look like shit."

"I feel like shit. But as I said, a shower and a good night's sleep will fix that."

"How's your injury?"

"In need of a shower and a good night's sleep."

Scott's glare was useless against someone who wasn't even looking at him. "If so, then why are you still sitting here."

"Just taking a moment, Scott. Give me a break."

The worry on Scott's face was obvious. "I can ask Em-"

Virgil straightened immediately, his eyes fixing on his brother. "I'm fine, Scott. I'm tired. Just leave it. Please."

When Scott didn't answer, Virgil threw himself to his feet and stalked out of the lounge. "I'm grabbing that shower."

Kayo stood to follow, but Scott grabbed her hand. "Keep an eye on him."

Exasperation. "As if I'd do anything else." For goodness sake, they were as bad as each other when injured. "I'll take care of it."

With that she stepped away and followed Virgil from the room.

-o-o-o-

Scott stared after his brother, worry coursing through his veins. Virgil looked awful. He hadn't seen his brother today until now. He had attended a landslide in China with Alan in the early hours of the morning, before returning only long enough to pick up Tracy Two to collect Kayo and Em from Perth, the former having stayed overnight to assist the latter with preparations.

And then this shitfest had happened.

Scott hated being off the roster and having to watch his brothers wear themselves thin. Hell, he knew Virgil had hated the same deal for the weeks on end after his accident six months ago.

He sighed. He had to trust Kayo on this. He had to believe that she could hold him back and stop him from doing anything stupid.

"Scott?" Em approached him, her expression concerned. Alan had obviously left. "Are you okay?"

He turned to her, his lips thinning. "What exactly were your injuries in Perth?"

She froze. "What? Why?"

"What exactly are you attempting to hide from me?" Perhaps his voice was sharper than he had intended, but he had things on his mind.

"I'm not hiding anything from you. What you see is what you get."

"Then what were your injuries? Why haven't you told me."

"Perhaps because they are none of your business."

He bit back his response, the emotion clogging his arteries. He needed to move, to get out of this chair. He needed to run or punch something. He needed-

"Scott?" Her voice was gentle. "Take a deep breath before you explode."

He blinked, those ice blue eyes were staring at him in concern. He let a breath go and his whole body sagged. "I hate this."

She lowered herself to his eye level, reaching out a hand to cup his jaw. "It will pass."

A huff of frustration. "I know that. But in the meantime, Virgil is working himself into the ground."

"Did you want me to have a look at him?"

"Stubborn bastard stormed off when I suggested it."

"Leave it to me. I'll speak to Kayo in the morning." To his surprise, she leant in and kissed his forehead. "Now my current concern is you. You've been in that chair all day, haven't you." It wasn't a question.

He looked at her and again those pale eyes caught him in their mystique. There was something about this woman. She gave no ground and kicked his ass on a regular basis, yet he found himself anticipating her company, relishing the challenge. She had been a splash of colour in the grey of injury and illness. For the first time he had found his hospital stay tolerable simply because she was on the other end of the line.

A sigh. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go to bed and rest for at least an hour. Then perhaps we can have dinner? Together?"

He smiled at that, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist and bring her closer. "Will you come visit me?"

She snorted. "Only after an hour, and only if you behave, flyboy." And to his astonishment, she tweaked the tip of his nose.

"Oh, well, when you put it that way..." He grinned.

"Go, Scott, go rest." And she raised herself back to standing height and conveniently out of his reach.

He sent a mock glare that morphed into more of a pout, but she had crossed her arms across her chest. "Go."

"What about you?"

"I'm sure John can keep me company, or point me in the direction of someone who can."

Scott blinked. He had forgotten his brother was in the same room. He glanced over at the desk and sure enough, there sat the space monitor, apparently busy, but he had no doubts that his brother had 'monitored' their conversation.

His eyes returned to the woman who was so occupying his attention of late. Those use blue eyes and raven dark hair, curls falling to her shoulders. She smiled at him. "If you don't go now, I'll ask John to called that handsome nurse of yours...Andre? And get him to drag you off by your toes."

Scott frowned. "Handsome?"

"Move, you silly bugger."

He opened his mouth, but she glared at him.

Perhaps doing as she suggested wasn't a bad idea at all.

-o-o-o-

In the end, Em marched him to the elevator, pushed him in, and thumped the button for the residential areas, before stepping out and waving him goodbye.

His frown was hilarious.

Once he was gone, the lounge settled into a quiet, disturbed only by the sea breeze, birds, the distant waves, and the soft beeps and John's voice as he spoke quietly into his collar.

Occasionally, a woman's voice would answer.

Em wandered out onto the balcony, still enamoured of the view. She had always loved the sea. Living in Perth had given her ample access to the Indian Ocean and a holiday's drive to the Southern Ocean. Here she stood staring at the Pacific and it was just as beautiful under a tropical sun as a temperate one.

"Dr Harris?" His voice was quiet, polite,...and she had heard it before.

She didn't turn. "You're The Voice Who Answers, aren't you?"

"Some people call me that, yes."

"You're the one who chooses who to save."

"Sometimes."

Now she turned to find him just inside the great glass doors. "How?"

His face was honest, but kind. "Triage. Level of crisis, our capability to help, how many are in danger."

"So it is all numbers?"

"No." He looked down a moment. "It is never just numbers." He looked back up at her. "I am so very sorry for your loss."

She shrugged, forcing nonchalance, not surprised that he knew. "Couldn't be helped. I was one among many." She tilted her head. "There are only six of you. How can you possibly save us all?" The pain was there, but then it always would be. Blaming this man for a choice he had to make wasn't going to solve anything. The madman was as dead as her family. There was no-one left to hate.

"We can only try."

"And kill yourselves in the process? Look at you now. Scott nearly died. Kayo was bloody lucky. And you nearly lost Virgil and Gordon today. Is this your regular modus operandi? Should I expect Alan or you to be on the line tomorrow?"

"Possibly." He straightened. "Doctor, we took on the mission long ago. We are aware of the risks and we have accepted them."

"I'm sorry, John, but Scott was not accepting the risk Virgil was exposed to today. Even though I've only known him a matter of weeks, I can see that much."

She barely heard his sigh. "Doctor, I don't have the answers. I wish I did. We do our best and that is all that can be asked of us."

He was right. She knew he was. But having met Virgil, having laughed with Kayo, to watch that wave nearly swipe him from the sky...the myths and legends of International Rescue both came true and dissolved into fear at the same time. This was a hard life. There were no fairytales or myths or happy endings. This was cold, hard reality that could end so badly.

And now she was investing in it. Scott was grounded for weeks, but what happened after that? He would be out there facing the same dangers as his brothers.

Could she handle that?

She had lost so much already. Why should she set herself up to lose more?

She wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know, John. I think the world asks you for too bloody much already."

-o-o-o-

End Part Eight


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Nine (abridged)

Author: Gumnut

28 - 30 Jan 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 1529 (abridged version)

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 **There are two versions of this chapter.** In the first scene a character decided he wanted to up the rating, so I have archived the full chapter on Ao3 and nowhere else. All other versions have the first scene removed. Personally, I would recommend reading the full version, as there is a great deal of emotional content in that scene, however for those who are not of the age for that rating or prefer not to read such content, please see the lower rated version. Again many thanks to scribbles97 for her extensive assistance on this. I owe her soooo much chocolate.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

 _Missing scene_

-o-o-o-

Em ended up on a lounger on one side of the balcony, shaded by the building. It was quiet, the breeze was lovely, and after pulling out her tablet to read one of her latest medical journals, she found herself drifting off to sleep. Still recovering from her own injuries, she let herself go.

Some kind of aircraft woke her. It took a moment for her to work out where she was. The sun had moved towards evening, the breeze cooler but not unpleasant.

In the distance a small pink...something...was approaching to land on the runway.

She blinked, her head foggy from the unexpected nap.

"You know, you were supposed to visit me."

She jumped, turning to find a pair of blue eyes grinning at her. She frowned. "You are supposed to be in bed."

He raised his arms in guilt free exclamation. "I did! Two hours. Over and above your orders, dear Doctor." The grin was back, obviously a better mood returning with that sleep. "It is you, who has obviously been neglecting your health." A mock glare. "I may not know specifics," and he spat the words despite his humorous tone, "but I can see you needed it."

"Hmph."

He snorted, far too energetic for her liking. With some difficulty, still not entirely used to the new shape of her body, she rolled herself over, turning her back to him. Her view switching to palm trees and that beautiful ocean beyond.

No comment, but he didn't leave.

She let her brain finally boot up properly, the fog clearing, only leaving a vague headache.

"We will be having guests shortly." His tone was quiet and respectful.

That got her attention. Twisting her neck to try and see him, she gave up and forcibly rolled herself back over. Unfortunately, she ran out of lounger.

The unnerving lack of support under her shoulder and she was flailing.

"Em!" A strong hand grabbed her, halting her fall. "John!"

Hurried footfalls on hardwood and a pair of gentle hands had her, lifting her back onto the lounger.

"Doctor Harris?" That musical voice. Shock slipped into embarrassment. Two pairs of Tracy eyes were looking at her with concern.

"I'm sorry. Thank you, John." A small hesitant smile. "Scott."

John let her go, stepping back, automatically looking to his older brother. Something passed between the two men and John dipped his head in her direction. "Not a problem, Doctor."

"It's Em, John."

A slight smile. "Em."

Those green eyes flicked to Scott once more and his lips twisted slightly, almost as if in amusement. "Please excuse me, duty calls." And he backed away before darting back inside.

Scott's gaze was on her immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Embarrassment stilted her response.

She straightened herself up and reached for her hoverscoot on the other side of the lounger. Scott backed up a little, his hoverchair whirring. She pushed herself vertical and, with her back to him, she shuffled herself aboard. Securing her harness, she mobilised the device, turning slowly and rising to his height.

Her confidence returned with her posture. "Now, who did you say was coming?"

He blinked at her, his lips thinning just a little. "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her chauffeur, Parker. Close family friends. They will be staying with us for Christmas."

As if on cue, a woman's voice echoed as the elevator opened. "Surely you have a better pun than that?"

"There is no better pun than that."

"You could have fooled me."

Gordon led an elegantly dressed blonde-haired woman into the room. An older gentleman followed them, his expression one of fond exasperation.

Scott moved forward. "Merry Christmas, Lady P."

"Scott! It is so wonderful to see you home again. And a Merry Christmas to you too. How are you feeling?" Quick strides and open hands, she clasped both of Scott's in greeting, careful of his cast.

"Getting there." His smile was genuine and had Em examining the woman. She was all poise and decadence. This woman had money and liked to show it. But then so did the Tracys. Em wasn't poor, but she suddenly felt it, hoping the dress she was wearing didn't have its tag showing. She fidgeted.

Scott must have sensed her nervousness, because next moment he had reached back and grabbed her hand, bringing her forward and into the conversation. "Lady Penelope, this is Doctor Em Harris. My saviour on several fronts."

Em's eyes widened and she stared at him a moment. He shot her a devilish grin.

"Well, that is quite fortunate, as Scott Tracy has needed to be saved for some time. Mostly from himself." Scott started and stared at their guest in astonishment. She smiled at him before turning back to Em. "Very pleased to meet you, Doctor."

"Em."

Perfectly pink lips smiled. "Em." Her eyes flickered to Scott and back. "I'm Penny." She gestured to the man behind her. "This is Parker."

The older man dipped his head in greeting. Em smiled at him. "Very pleased to meet you."

Penny turned towards the desk. "John, it is so wonderful to see you down for Christmas."

John was shunting holograms from one part of the desk to another, his hands continually in motion. "It is nice to see you, Lady Penelope." But his attention was clearly divided.

"Where are Virgil, Alan and Kayo? Mrs Tracy?"

Scott shifted in his seat. "Alan has gone to collect another guest in Tracy Two. Grandma is down in the hangers. Kayo is with Virgil, who is resting, I hope. We had a nasty one today."

That prompted a series of concerned questions and Em fast discovered that Lady P was well and truly part of International Rescue, though she had no idea what part the polished woman played.

Or why Gordon appeared to be in her orbit.

The younger man's eyes were tracking every move the woman made. She hoped he realised exactly how obvious he was.

Though Penny did not seem to mind.

And Em couldn't talk. Scott still had her hand in his. It was rather nice if she had to admit to it.

She let her thumb gently rub the back of his hand. She caught his gentle smile with one of her own.

"Parker, could you please attend to our luggage. Gordon, would it be possible for you to give him a hand?"

The younger man blinked and clearly considered saying no, but an arch of a perfectly plucked brow had him standing quickly. A mock bow. "Most certainly, m'Lady."

"Em, would you like to take a turn about the island before dinner? Scott needs to attend to his Grandmother before she wears a hole in the hangar floor."

Beside her, Scott started in his chair.

Penny pinned him with her eyes. "I have no doubt that if Virgil wasn't indisposed, he would be down there with her."

Scott snorted. "Of course, he would be, for more than one reason." But he sighed. "I get the message."

"And besides, I would like to take the opportunity to get to know Em a little better." Her smile was suddenly a double-edged sword and Em fought the urge to back away.

-o-o-o-

The sun was starting to light up the horizon in yellows and oranges as Penny stepped outside. Tracy Island truly had its rugged beauty, though not a beauty that lent itself to heels. Which was unfortunate since this skirt simply didn't go well with walkers.

It couldn't be helped. She would just have to step carefully.

Doctor Harris followed her with a whir of hoverjets. Fate had been rather cruel to the young woman. Combing through her history had revealed a decent spirit, a strong moral backbone and a fighting attitude that had managed to get her through all the hurdles life had thrown at her. Despite everything the woman had a successful career and appeared mentally healthy above expectations.

The fact Scott Tracy was willing to hold her hand raised the level of inspection Penny needed to deploy.

Kayo had been in contact with her on a regular basis sourcing information on the doctor who had saved her eldest brother. Ever wary, Kayo went to the extreme to protect her family. She had to. Whether the person in question was simply a friend or a prospective lover, Kayo did her best to make sure they were not a threat to the Tracys. And if they were, she removed the threat.

Penny was inclined to agree on this strategy.

So, between herself and the security officer, Emaline Harris' life was an open book. They knew her preferences in breakfast cereal, where she bought that breakfast cereal, and if she really wanted to, she could find out exactly how long it took for the woman's body to process that breakfast cereal.

It was invasive and it was rude, but the Tracy's were worth it.

Emaline had been cleared.

But now she was holding Scott Tracy's hand.

Scott Tracy didn't hold hands.

He kissed. He dated. And occasionally, he conquered.

He didn't hold hands.

Penelope needed to know this woman's heart. She needed to know it now.

-o-o-o-

End Part Nine.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Ten

Author: Gumnut

30 Jan – 3 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2555

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 Well, anyone reading my Tumblr will know this part set me kicking and screaming and multiple headdesking. I got stuck and it wouldn't write and I didn't have a fun time. However last night I broke the first dam and this morning the second one kicked over and hooray, here be Part Ten. It should also be noted that somehow, Virgil is completely absent from this part. Please don't hate me. This may have been why it was so hard to write - it may be my only fic bit without Virg ever. But he will be back, cos I have evil plans! Many thanks to both scribbles97 and the-lady-razorsharp for putting up with my extensive wailing and moaning and also for your wonderful support and help. And to all of you who have waited the extra few days while I kicked my brain into gear, thank you :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

"So what are your intentions towards Scott Tracy?"

Em stopped in the middle of the path. "Excuse me?"

The blonde woman's expression was mild, perhaps a little curious. "You are obviously attracted to him."

"And that is your business, how?" Oh, god, he didn't have a girlfriend, did he? Her heart sank. He obviously liked this woman, greeting her with warmth. But then, it had been Scott who had taken her hand and then there was Kayo. Em frowned. There was no way his sister would let her anywhere near her brother if that had been the case. "Who are you to Scott Tracy?"

That perfectly plucked eyebrow rose at her. "Nothing more than a concerned friend."

"Who has what to be concerned about?"

"Ms Harris," and the woman squared her stance with Em's. "The Tracy brothers are a unique situation. Do you think you are up to the challenge?"

"It is Doctor Harris, and I don't see anyone, much less a Tracy, as sport." She spun on the spot and continued at a walking pace down to the edge of the cliff in front of the house. Hovering on the edge, she stared out to the ocean. It was still a stunning colour, its turquoise stained by the yellows shed by the sky. But her stomach was unsettled. What did this woman want from her? Was she being warned off? Was she a 'friend' who believed she owned more than she did? What did she want with Scott Tracy?

She turned the 'scoot around slowly to face Penelope. "What do you want?"

The woman smiled. "Simply to ensure Scott's safety."

Em sighed, her shoulders dropping. "Then you're failing miserably. The man nearly got himself killed a few weeks back."

"Some things simply can't be helped."

"Really? Well, they should be. These men are not superhuman, yet they are attempting superhuman feats. Virgil and Gordon were nearly killed this morning." She was still seeing that wave attempting to engulf Thunderbird Two.

The woman didn't react. "It comes with the territory. The question is, are you prepared to deal with the situation."

Em locked her gaze into those challenging blue eyes, advancing instinctively, her fingers twitching on the 'scoot's controls in her palms as she fisted her hands. "I have dealt with life and death my entire career, with no small amount of consideration for my own and my family's. I can 'deal' with the situation, Penelope." Screw the 'Lady' part of the equation, she wasn't acting like one. "It doesn't mean I have to accept it." Her blood boiled. "As for my 'intentions' towards Scott Tracy. That is my business, his business and has zero to do with anyone else. Quite frankly, your 'ladyship', you can bugger off."

Again with the delicate arched eyebrow. "I see." Pressed lips. "There was no need to resort to profanity."

"I will resort to whatever the hell I have to."

"That is good to know." And Penelope turned back towards the house. "Now come, my dear, we have a new guest to meet." A sudden roar of jet engines and Tracy Two was once again on approach to the runway.

Em stumbled mentally. What?

A glance at the landing aircraft and another at the elegant woman walking back up the path. The hell? Was that a test?

She grit her teeth.

Turning back to the ocean, she forced herself to calm down. There was no way she was letting this woman get under her skin.

The waves lapped at the bottom of the cliff mocking her.

Too bad she already had.

-o-o-o-

Scott loved his grandmother. He admired her for her spirit, her strength and her character. But the woman knew how to curdle a grandson's stomach, and not just with her cooking.

As they all entered the comms room, Sally was hanging off her guest's arm like an escort girl off a playboy at a party, and grinning just as guilelessly. Not really the position of a respected elder. Fortunately, the man she was ogling had more than two cents between his ears and was treating her kindly, not a little smitten himself.

He better.

Scott was still unsure of what he thought about his grandmother's relatively new relationship. She had expressed so much eagerness the first time she set eyes on the man. Virgil's hero worship hadn't helped.

Scott sighed. The man seemed genuine enough and kindly, but he set off Scott's protective instincts, both on his grandmother's behalf and oddly regarding Virgil as well. He swore Virgil regressed in age around the man. Even Kayo had commented on it. It was almost as if his brother had found his messiah or something.

It made Scott uncomfortable.

But the man checked out. Kayo and Penelope had reassured him of this on several fronts. He was an honest man and he appeared to have an honest fondness for his grandmother. He even treated Virgil like a tolerant grandfather.

Scott eyed Grandma still staring up into the man's eyes.

It sounded primitive, but he better treat his family kindly otherwise he'd park Thunderbird One's rockets on his head and torch him with her afterburners.

A gasp. "Uncle Crispin?"

The non-sequitur echoed through the room like a ricochet.

Kip Harris looked up in astonishment. "Emaline?"

Scott stared at Em who had just come up the stairs behind Penny. He turned back to Kip...Harris. "You have got to be kidding me."

But the man's eyes were only for Em, widening in horror. "My god, Emaline! What happened?"

-o-o-o-

Em stared at the only remaining member of her family. Her father's brother. He was staring at her, shock in his eyes.

She became very conscious of being half the woman she used to be, of the Tracys in the room, of the eyes staring at her in surprise.

Penelope's blue gaze.

Everything.

Oh god.

Something was stuck in her throat.

She wasn't ready for this.

Her heart thudded in her chest and she suddenly couldn't get enough air. She had to get out.

Now.

With the echo of a pair of worried blue eyes following her, she activated the 'scoot, backed away, tore down the stairs and out onto the patio desperate to escape. There had to be a way...

There. She tore between the pam trees and out onto a path that led who knew where.

-o-o-o-

If Scott had been more mobile, he might have grabbed her before she could have run, but he wasn't.

Instead, he turned to his grandmother's boyfriend, eyes blazing. "What the hell was that?"

But the man seemed truly in shock. "When...how did she lose her legs?"

Scott blinked. "What?"

A hand landed on his arm. "Scott." He looked up to find Penny standing beside him. "Follow her." There was something in the woman's eyes and her voice dropped to a whisper. "She's dealing with more than you know."

His eyes widened and worry set in. With a glance at his grandmother who was moving to console Kip, he tore out of the room as fast as Thunderbird imPatient could take him.

-o-o-o-

The path wound its way around the edge of the island and before she knew it, she was beside the island's runway, its parade of palm trees waving in the wind.

Each breath had become a sob. A harsh indrawn gasp followed by an incoherent whimper. She...it just...oh god...she should never have come. What could they possibly be thinking of her? What could he be thinking?

And to run like that. What had happened to her spine? Where was her strength? Why was she sobbing instead of snarling?

She let the 'scoot drift, not caring where it took her, and not surprised when it collided with a straggly bush beside the cliff overlooking the ocean. Her eyes caught the waves far below, but they blurred with unshed tears.

And she was crying.

All of it. The accident, Scott's injuries, her injuries, the loss of her legs, becoming friends with legends, travelling to Tracy Island, Virgil's injuries, the cyclone and Thunderbird Two, Scott, his kiss, his smile, his eyes, his voice...

"Em?"

Oh, god, no.

She hid her face in her hands, desperately attempting to straighten herself out. Fear, mortification, embarrassment.

There was a hand on her arm.

And he was turning her, drawing her to him, reaching up to pull her down to his height, his one arm as strong as it had been earlier in the day, his broken arm, flailing for grip.

And it was his broken arm that caused her to give in. She couldn't have him doing himself anymore damage. She couldn't.

Just couldn't.

The 'scoot dropped and he grabbed her. And she gave in, dropped her shields and let it all go.

Crying all over his shoulder, leaving tear stains on his shirt. But she couldn't stop, it was just too much.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He was saying something, but she couldn't hear him over her sobbing. He was holding her tight.

She shouldn't be doing this. She should be strong. Em Bloody Harris...oh, hell. Another rush of tears. God, what was he thinking of her?

He was stroking her hair, combing fingers through her curls.

It was strangely calming.

Soft.

And finally she could hear him. It was a mantra. "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay." One for each stroke of his hand.

Like a heartbeat.

She focussed on it. He kept doing it.

Her breathing evened out. It was lulling and she was exhausted.

He kissed her hair and she let herself simply drift in his arms. Safe.

Time hung.

"Em?"

She blinked wet lashes, almost half asleep, and realised what she was doing.

Oh god.

She struggled to sit up, to regain a modicum of dignity, but he wouldn't let her go.

"It's okay. Stay there." He had his fingers in her hair again, soothing. "It's okay."

Her heart twisted, but she was tired of fighting, tired of keeping it all together. She let a breath go and sagged into him. He held her tight.

"I think we need to talk." His voice was quiet and undemanding. Her breath hitched a moment, but she knew he was right. She owed him an explanation.

But the words wouldn't come.

"Did you lose your legs in Perth?"

Her breath caught in her throat and it came out parched. "Yes." She was glad she couldn't see his face.

His grip tightened on her arm. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time.." He stopped talking and resumed stroking her hair. "What happened under that building?"

And still she couldn't say it. She didn't want him to know, yet she had screwed it all up royally. Hell, half his family knew already and it wouldn't be fair to keep him in the dark. But still she couldn't say it.

A sharp indrawn breath. "What did you do? You came to me. You helped me. What happened, Em?"

There was fear in his voice. "I didn't want to tell you." Her voice was faint. She could hardly hear herself. "It wasn't your fault."

"My fault? Hell, what did you do?"

She had to sit up. She had to look him in the eye. He deserved that much.

He let her go and she straightened, catching her first sight of his worried blue eyes. She swallowed and forced her voice to work. "You were bleeding badly, but I couldn't reach you. I was pinned. I knew that if I didn't help you, your chances were not good. So I...got myself out from under the rubble to reach you." He was staring at her in horror. She panicked grabbing his arms. "I didn't feel it. It didn't hurt. I've been a paraplegic for over five years. So I haven't really lost anything. They were useless anyway." At least that is what she was going to tell herself for the rest of her life.

He was still staring at her, his gorgeous blue eyes still horrified. She hurried to continue. "It was my choice. You couldn't die. You and your brothers have sacrificed so much. I couldn't let you die." She straightened, grasping for that spine she had, the one that actually worked when she wasn't a sobbing mess. "It was my choice."

Still he didn't say anything. A swallow and his stare continued, but she could see his mind racing behind those eyes. What was he thinking? His lips parted, but still nothing came out.

And suddenly she was in his arms and he was crushing her to him.

She gasped, the hoverscoot slipping out from under her, only staying attached due to her harness. Her weight was all on him and she was suddenly aware of his pounding heart beating through his ribcage into hers.

But most of all she was aware that the bloody idiot was putting pressure on his injured ribs and abdomen and if she didn't move, she was likely going to hurt him. But she couldn't get purchase and he wouldn't let go.

"Don't you dare hurt yourself." She said it muffled into his shoulder.

Still he said nothing, just clung to her. She couldn't see his face. She had no idea what he was thinking.

"Scott?"

No answer.

"Scott?"

His shoulders straightened under her and he was letting her go. She could feel his shields going up and when she was finally able to get her 'scoot back under her, he had regained his composure with the exception of a sparkle in his eyes. She swallowed. He had called on the commander of International Rescue.

She still had no idea what he was thinking.

Had she ruined everything?

He reached out and took her hand. "Thank you, Em." He looked down at their hands, his head shaking slowly. "I don't know how I can ever repay you for such a...sacrifice." His voice broke on the last word.

She flared up. "You don't owe me anything, Scott. It was my decision."

"But-"

"No!" And now she was angry. "There is no debt. It was my choice, Scott Tracy, don't you dare try to take that away from me." Softer. "Please don't let this come between us."

Us. She shivered. Was there an 'us'?

Something sparked in that blue. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. "Us?" He smiled the most alluring smile he had deployed on her yet, his eyes peering up at her through his long, dark lashes.

"Oh, you shit." She thwapped him on his shoulder, just as he grabbed for her again around her waist drawing her in, his smile becoming a grin as she squirmed.

And then they were nose to nose, his eyes were sparkling again and he was kissing her.

There was something there that wasn't there before, something passionate, something urgent, he needed something and she had it.

She saw stars as he took her breath away.

When he finally let her go, her head was spinning and her body reacting. Bloody hell.

His hand cupped her cheek and her vision was full of those gorgeous blue eyes again. He kissed her gently once more. His voice was little more than breath. "Thank you, Em."

Caught, her own voice as breathless as his, all she could say was, "You're welcome."

-o-o-o-

End Part Ten.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Eleven

Author: Gumnut

3 – 7 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 3218

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 I have been staring at this forever. RL has been kicking my butt and I keep finding myself falling asleep while trying to write only having written a paragraph or two. So basically I've been staring at this for far too long. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Many thanks for all your wonderful support. This fandom and its fans are amazing.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

If it hadn't been Christmas Eve, Kayo would have been inclined to stay in their rooms. She would have most definitely preferred Virgil to sleep as long as possible, and if he had stayed asleep, she would have left him there. But at seven in the evening, he woke foggy, realised what time it was and was adamant that they needed to make an appearance.

He still looked half dead, but admittedly that may have been something to do with the mess of hair on his head. He was also stiff as a board and was moving awkwardly, but his mood was cranky and he growled at her at least twice at the mere mention of anything related to his injury, so she left it. Perhaps Scott could kick his ass.

She followed Virgil down to the comms room, knowing his target was none other than the first coffee pot to cross his path. Stepping into the room, she caught the tail end of a question.

"...Why didn't you call me?"

"Because you didn't need to know. You've done far too much already." Em paused. "And I wasn't ready to tell you."

The tableau leapt up and slammed into her retinas.

Kip Harris.

Damn.

She had been distracted. She hadn't been able to warn Em. She knew about their relationship, of course, and had intended to take her aside and speak to her about it. Then Broome happened, and Virgil.

Damn. She was slipping up.

"Virgil?" Scott.

"Before anyone asks, I'm fine, I just need coffee." And she watched as her fiancé scanned the room, looking for that fabled pot.

"Here you go, sir. Just as you like it." Parker appeared as if from nowhere and Virgil pounced on the mug of liquid ecstasy in his hand.

Kayo turned away, refusing to be baited by her lover's relationship with coffee.

Em was pale, sitting in her hoverscoot beside Scott. Her brother caught her eye and she was immediately pinned. Scott was not happy. No doubt there would be hell to pay later. The man hated not knowing and the Kip Harris and Em Harris surprise would have royally pissed him off.

"But tell me, honey, are you okay?" Kip's attention was narrowed on his niece.

Em held up a hand. "I'm fine, Uncle. I promise. Scott has me well in hand." She forced a smile.

"Oh, he does, does he?" That narrow beam of attention hit the eldest Tracy brother between the eyes.

"Yes, sir, I do." And those blue eyes blazed back, defiant.

"You better, boy."

"Uncle Crispin!"

"Kip, dear, put away your dynamite. Scott's a Tracy. There are none more honourable. You should know that." Her grandmother's faith echoed around the sunken lounge.

Virgil, probably purposefully ignoring them all in favour of his coffee, groaned unconsciously as he folded himself onto one of the lounges beside Scott.

Immediately the older brother's attention dropped Kip and narrowed on the younger pilot. "Virg, are you sure you're okay?"

Virgil sighed as he leaned back, closing his eyes, coffee still in hand. "Give me a minute. I'm still fuelling." He took another gulp of the very hot coffee and groaned obscenely.

"God, Virg, get a room."

"Already got one, Gordon. Don't like it? Find your own." Another gulp and a sigh. "Parker, marry me."

Kayo, sitting down beside him with her own cup of coffee, kicked his boot. "You are taken. Though that may change in the near future if you don't stop making love to your mug."

Gordon snorted his own drink and spluttered all over himself.

Virgil startled. Foggy brown eyes found hers and they were suddenly full of apology.

She frowned.

"Heard you had a bad one this morning."

Virgil's attention was immediately diverted, ever attentive to his hero. Kayo resisted rolling her eyes.

"Cyclone off Broome. Had a bit of trouble retrieving the module from the ocean surface."

Kip was peering at him closely. "You're lookin' a little peaked there, son."

Kayo eyed Virgil again. He was still a touch pale...

"I'm okay, Mr Harris." Virgil took another gulp of coffee and hid behind his mug.

Em was eyeing her uncle and Virgil with a frown on her face, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

"Virgil? Kayo? Could I speak with the two of you for a moment? In my office." Scott's expression was ominous. She vaguely wondered what his reaction would be if she said no.

But Virgil was moving, his body almost visibly creaking as he staggered up and off the lounge still clutching his coffee mug. God, she wished he could have stayed in bed.

Scott gripped Em's hand. "I'll only be a moment." He directed his hoverchair up and out of the lounge circle, heading for the elevator. Virgil followed, his body loosening up as he gained momentum. Kayo fell in line at a more sedate pace.

The elevator ride was silent.

Scott was obviously beyond pissed. This wasn't going to be fun.

And as soon as that office door was closed, she was proven right.

"Why the hell have you kept me in the dark?"

"What?" Virgil's bewilderment was obvious.

"Did you know Em lost her legs in Perth?"

Virgil blinked. "Well, yeah, didn't you?"

That brought Scott up short. "No. I did not." A glare. "I didn't even know she was a paraplegic."

"Really?"

"I never met the woman until today! Do you have any idea how it felt to discover her injuries like that? I don't think it is unreasonable that my brother and our security officer keep me up to date on important matters."

"I thought you knew." Virgil's eyes were wide.

"Well, I didn't! And this Kip Harris relationship was the icing on the cake."

Her fiancé's eyes widened even further. "What? She's related to Kip?"

"Her uncle. You didn't know that?"

"No, I didn't know that! What am I? Your local fountain of information? I was asleep when Kip arrived, for goodness sake. I've said two words to the man."

"Kayo knew, though, didn't you." It wasn't a question as his accusing gaze landed on her.

"I knew. I was going to speak to Em, but I was otherwise detained. My apologies."

"And when were you going to tell me?" Those blue eyes were accusing.

"I wasn't. It is not my information to share. None of it affects or even relates to our operations. She checks out. Penelope double checked and agreed. Sighting her personal information does not give me the right to share it with all and sundry. If she had been a threat, Scott, of course, but she is not. She is simply a private individual who has been through no small amount of hell in her life and you should be respecting her privacy." Her lips thinned as she glared at the man. "If you want to know more about Em, ask her."

A large hand took hers and she turned to discover her favourite pair of brown eyes supporting her calmly. Kayo frowned, she felt oddly protective of Em. She could understand Scott's anger, but she felt defensive as if the man was intruding. She adored her big brother, but the man could be an ass sometimes. A thumb caressed the back of her fingers.

Scott stared back and forth between them, his lips pursed.

"Scott, are you okay?" Virgil's baritone was soft, his thumb didn't stop moving.

Scott glared at his brother. "I'm fine."

"Bullshit." The expletive punctured the room. The hand in hers squeezed gently and let her go.

A brief flash of request in her direction from her lover, and she got the message. She didn't even bother to say goodbye, simply slipping out of the room with a gentle smile at Virgil.

This was brother territory.

And besides, she needed to check on Em. Who knew what Scott had put her through with this.

-o-o-o-

The door shut behind Kay and Virgil felt the loss immediately.

"Where's she going?"

"What? Did you want her to wait for a dismissal?" Virgil's tone was sharp.

Scott's brow crinkled. "What's got into you?"

"You."

"What? Why?"

"You tell me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. Preferably something about what the hell is going on with you."

"I'm fine." His brother turned towards his desk and to Virgil's amazement, activated the holographic interface and started shuffling icons.

Virgil's palm came down on the off switch with a sudden crack. "No."

"What the hell?"

"Scott, you are my brother and I love you more than my life, but, god, you can be an ass."

"Says the master of all asses."

Virgil blinked, frowned, and bit his lip. "Uh, you want to try that again?"

Scott's eyes were wide. "That so didn't come out the way I expected."

"I didn't think so." Virgil sighed. "C'mon, Scott, what's bugging you?"

His brother sagged in his hoverchair. A frustrated sigh.

Virgil grabbed a chair and slapped it down beside his brother and took a seat...slowly. Goddamnit, he was getting sick of that ache. Now was not the time. A flinch at the wrong moment and his brother would be all over him.

This was about Scott, not about his injury.

"Is it Em?"

The flash of blue in his direction most certainly confirmed it, but his brother turned away again.

"Scott?"

Apparently, the far wall was extremely interesting. His voice was quiet. "I like her, Virg."

Virgil couldn't help but smile. "Well, that's great, Scott."

But the expression on his brother's face was anything but happy as he turned to face Virgil. "We had some great conversations in the hospital. Her sense of humour..." Scott smiled, seeing something other than the room. "She has me laughing despite everything." Thoughtful. "And she is strong. Oh god, is she strong." But his eyes shuttered before turning to Virgil again. "Do you have any idea what it was like to meet her this morning, so happy to finally see her, only to discover how injured she is?"

Virgil frowned. "It doesn't make her any less of a person, Scott."

Blue eyes flared. "Of course not! It's was just...it was like she was injured then and there in front of me. I had an...assumption...and fate may have taken her legs long ago, but at that moment, they were taken from me." He looked away. "And god damn it hurt."

Virgil shifted in his seat. "You more than like her, don't you."

Scott looked up at him, lips thinning, before looking away again and saying nothing.

He placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. The muscles under his fingers were strung like piano wire. "What else?"

The shoulder flexed. "She lost her legs because of me."

A sigh. "She lost her legs because a building fell on her."

"She did damage to herself to get to me."

"She did what she had to do. It was not your fault."

"How can you say that? I was supposed to save her."

"But she saved you, and in the process had to make a shitty decision. But it was her decision. Don't take that away from her."

"Virgil-"

"Scott, do you blame Kayo for my injury? Do you blame her because I ripped open my ribcage saving her life?" He pinned his brother with his eyes.

"Of course not!"

"Then how can it possibly be your fault that Em lost her legs saving you?" A breath. "In fact, it was nobody's fault, just shitty fate kicking our asses yet again."

And there is was. Scott's anger flaring up behind those blue eyes. But this anger was healthier than the despair that had leeched into his voice. This was determined anger, strong anger.

The anger that kept his brother going.

"Now, I don't know about you, big brother, but I am starving." He pushed himself out of the chair and held back yet another grimace as pain lanced up and down his side. Blue eyes frowned at him. "I am going downstairs and I am going to eat some of that delicious food John ordered." He gripped his brother's shoulder again. "And you are going down there to dazzle that lovely young woman with that weaponised smile of yours." He grabbed his coffee cup off the edge of the desk. "There will also be more coffee. Definitely more coffee."

"You are still an ass."

Virgil snorted. "Yeah, but I'm good ass." He smirked. "Just ask Kay."

-o-o-o-

By the time Virgil and Scott re-joined the family downstairs, Grandma had laid out all the evening's food.

And tied Alan to a chair to keep his fingers out of it.

"Aww, Grandma!"

"You will sit there, young man, and wait for your brothers. We have guests, where are your manners?" She was gazing up at Kip who had approached and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"They were eaten by the black hole where my stomach used to be." Virgil, still unseen by his youngest brother, had to laugh at the expression on Alan's face. A pout mixed with frustrated anger and longing for the food in front of him. "Where the hell are they?"

"Right here, little bro." Virgil snorted at him and waltzed past to have at the food.

"Oi, young man." He was thwapped by a delicate hand. "Guests first."

"Yes, Grandma."

Kay eventually rescued him, and Virgil was happy to see Em doing something similar for a blushing Scott. He eyed Kip and Em during the night as well, his artistic eye finally seeing just the touches of resemblance. There wasn't much. Where Kip was dark, Em was pale. Where Kip was white haired, all trace of his original colour gone, Em's hair was a cloud of wavy almost black hovering around her head. Em's pale blue eyes couldn't be further from Kip dark brown. Not to mention Em's Australian accent going up against Kip's American twang, there was no comparison. But there was something in their faces, just an echo of similarity, barely there that labelled them as family.

As the evening moved on, a comfortable swell of conversation bounced about the room. Kay kept him company all night. He suspected she was hovering over him regarding his injury, but he didn't have the energy to challenge her, and besides, he loved her company regardless. Em stuck with Scott mostly, the chair-bound pair quite cute in their attachment. Further observation convinced Virgil that Scott was seriously attracted to this woman. He was attentive and smiled softly from time to time, something in his eyes. It got to the point that Virgil had to look away or embarrass himself. There was definitely something there.

He couldn't help the warmth that welled inside at seeing his brother happy.

When Em wasn't with Scott, she was with Kay. The two of them sat on a couch at one point chatting away quite happily.

Virgil couldn't help but grin at that as well.

Gordon spoke often to Penelope. In fact, the aquanaut never seemed to be very far away from the blonde woman. It left Virgil wondering if he was missing something, but Penny didn't seem to mind.

If he hadn't gone outside for a fresh breath of air at around ten, he might have never ascertained what exactly was going on between those two. As it was, he was glad he couldn't actually see them. Hearing them was intrusive enough.

"Pen, I..."

"Gordon, what exactly are you worried about?"

"I'm not worried."

"You're fidgeting."

"I-"

"Gordon, I have been waiting for you to kiss me for over a year now. If you don't action that want I'm going to- hmph."

The sounds that followed didn't need subtitles.

Virgil crept back inside.

Grandma, on the other hand, was anything but subtle. At one point she jumped on Kip's lap and kissed him madly in full view of everyone. There were several good-natured groans.

John couldn't help himself and kept the desk holographic interface running. Grandma coaxed him to the lounge conversation several times, but the man seemed chained to the desk and kept returning. He also appeared to be talking to someone...a lot. Virgil grew suspicious, but didn't comment. He didn't think Eos would cause quite that kind of smile on his brother's face, but if it was someone else...well, Virgil could always third degree him later.

All in all, it was a pleasant evening. But as it wore on, he found himself flagging. Between the pain in his side and the strain of the day, despite his nap earlier, a comfortable conversation on the couch eventually drifted into sleep.

He woke to a not so gentle nudge from Kay. "C'mon, love, let's get you to bed."

He blinked, only half awake. His family was smiling and smirking at him. Damn. "I'm fine." He struggled to straighten up. His side screeched at him and he groaned.

"Oh, for god's sake, Virgil." Her glare was ready to rip his face off.

"Okay, okay, I get the message." A large hand, Kip's? Was helping him off the lounge. "I'm going...going."

Kay was there and they were leaving the room. "Merry Christmas everyone." A range of well wishes and the elevator ate them.

Kay kissed him, her hand on his cheek. "You big idiot."

"Wha-?" But he was really too tired to care.

They made it to their rooms. Clothes off, pyjama bottoms on. Bed.

He curled up beside Kay and let sleep take him.

-o-o-o-

The beep was soft, barely loud enough to hear, but it woke Kayo without a problem. It was designed to do that.

Beside her, Virgil slept on, the same beep equally designed not to wake him. In fact, he didn't even know of its existence. Kayo planned to keep it that way.

Slipping out of bed, she padded barefoot out of the room and closed the door behind her. Secure in the knowledge of the room's soundproofing she grabbed her comms and, keeping both her voice and the volume low, answered John's summons.

The clock on the wall said 3.26am.

"Kayo?"

"This better not be a rescue, John." The pause at the other end of the line confirmed her suspicions. "No, I'm sorry. He is not going out."

"Kayo, you know I wouldn't ask if I had a choice."

"There is no choice involved. You can't ask him this."

"Honestly, I don't want to, but his engineering knowledge and equipment is needed."

"Send Brains."

He fell silent.

"John, he is exhausted and in pain. He is not going." Final word.

"Copy that." The line went dead.

She sighed. Virgil would not be happy, but he would just have to live with it.

Better grumpy alive than happy dead.

She turned off her comms and threw the dress over the back of the lounge.

A drink of water and she killed the light, tiptoeing back into their room.

He was softly snoring.

Despite herself, her heart warmed at the sound. Drawn to him, she climbed back into bed and wrapped herself around him, her face buried in the back of his neck. He didn't even stir. God, she loved him.

And be damned if she would let his job throw his life away

After all, it was hers.

-o-o-o-

End Part 11


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Twelve

Author: Gumnut

8 – 9 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 3614

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline. Possible trigger warning for tall building fires.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 It is amazing what a day off work can do :D We're out of Christmas Eve and things are moving. Many thanks again to scribbles97 for some extensive help on this. I hope you all enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

"You did what?!"

Em entered the comms room and immediately wished she hadn't.

Virgil stood glaring at John, tension in every line of his body. Only the two of them were in the room, both looked tired, John worried and Virgil absolutely furious. She would never have thought the man could possibly be that angry, he seemed so calm and gentle.

"I sent Brains."

"Why the hell did you do that?! Why wasn't I called?"

John stepped forward. "Because you aren't well. Even I can see the pain you are in. Right now, in fact."

Virgil flared even more. "And that saved who how? Now I have to go out and save Brains!"

John looked uncomfortable.

The sun was barely over the horizon. Em was only half awake, hovering just outside the elevator where the two men couldn't see her. She desperately needed to examine Virgil, he was clearly in pain, but she was hesitant to interrupt their argument. Perhaps she should wake Scott?

"We will discuss this later." Virgil's baritone had dropped to a threat. The man turned and strode across the room in her direction. She slipped further into the shadows, but he approached the wall beside the portraits. Turning around, he reached up and grabbed onto two light fixtures. She heard him mutter something about having to fly the tin can and then the wall ate him. A rumble of machinery echoed through the panelling.

She blinked.

"Doctor Harris?"

Okay, that made her jump and not a little guilty. John was looking in her direction, so she slipped out of hiding and 'scooted into the room. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

John sighed. "You didn't. Please excuse Virgil, he is not really approachable before his morning coffee."

"Where is he going?"

Another sigh. "There was an incident in a Brazilian skyscraper early this morning. A fire. Thunderbird Two attended with Alan and Gordon along with Brains for engineering advice." What? She'd slept through that? John must have read her expression. "The villa is well soundproofed for most of our launches. Only one really disturbs the main house enough to wake those deeply asleep."

As if in demonstration, the glass doors onto the balcony clicked and began to close. John smiled just a little. "You might like to watch this." He led her to the edge of the room where she could see the pool just beyond the balcony. Using her 'scoot to her own advantage, she raised herself up higher for a better view.

The pool was moving, retracting into the house, a gaping hole left in its wake.

"There is only one thing Virgil hates more than early mornings." Beneath her feet the building made an odd clunk sound as the pool fully retracted. "And that is piloting Thunderbird One."

Something exploded beneath them. The whole house shook in its foundations and to her astonishment, the famed rocket plane of International Rescue burst forth from where the pool used to be, a blur of red, grey, blue and white alphabet tore vertically into the sky.

Her jaw was on the floor.

"That's Scott's Thunderbird?" She could barely hear the roar anymore, much less see the craft. It was gone.

"Yes, it is." But it wasn't John who answered.

She spun herself around to find a dishevelled Scott darting across the room. He had obviously dragged himself out of bed in a hurry. He was still in his pyjamas and his hair was skew-whiff. His broken leg wasn't quite on the chair support properly. She headed towards him. "Hey."

But his eyes were for John. "What is going on?" As he fell in beside her, his hand reached out and caught hers. She couldn't help the tiniest of smiles. She had never had her hand held so much in her life. He seemed to have this urge to be continually connected to her.

She didn't mind in the slightest.

"Thunderbird Two called for assistance in a skyscraper fire in Brazil. Apparently, the building partly collapsed, trapping Brains. Alan managed to jump clear. They need Virgil and his exo-suit."

Em's eyes widened. "You're going to let him strap on that metal skeleton in his condition?!"

Two pairs of Tracy eyes pinned her. The hand in hers twitched and tightened. "What condition?"

Okay, she was a doctor and these things were obvious to her, but how could they not have seen the man grimace every time he moved? "Surely you can see the man is in pain." One of the reasons she was up so early herself was so she could grab the second eldest Tracy before he ran off, but obviously she hadn't been early enough.

"John, where have you sent him?!" Kayo was fury incarnate as she strode into the room, Grandma and Kip in her wake.

John stiffened. "I had no choice, Kayo. Brains is trapped. Who else could I send?"

That halted her pending tirade. Em watched fear flicker across her friend's face before it was controlled. "Prep Thunderbird Shadow. I'm going out to assist." She turned on her heel, strode over to the circular lounge and sat down in one of the paired chairs.

Yet another clunk of machinery and both Kayo and the chairs disappeared into the floor. Moments later an empty copy of the chairs replaced them.

Em blinked.

That was unexpected. She looked around the room at the other various pieces of furniture and wondered what else moved in ways unusual.

Scott's hand was still in hers.

"Em, what is Virgil's condition?" His voice was quiet, concerned, with just a touch of fear.

"I don't know. I haven't had a chance to examine him properly yet. It could just be scar pain, I think in any case that is a good part of it. What little I have seen tells me we need to work on some remedy for that, but...damn, I should have grabbed him last night."

His hand squeezed hers. "He was given the option."

She turned to him. "Yes, but I could have pushed the matter. He's not the first reluctant patient I've come across. Though he may be one of the most important."

Scott shot her a look. She could feel his eyes on her face, but she turned away. Perhaps she shouldn't have said that, but it was said anyway. He could interpret it as he pleased.

Somewhere above them, more rocket engines fired and the island echoed a clunk of release. The ghost Thunderbird fell into view over the ocean, exhaust flaming, and tore off into the west.

"Good morning and Merry Christmas to you all." Penny slipped elegantly into the room.

Em did her best not to glare at her.

Merry Christmas indeed.

-o-o-o-

Virgil Tracy hated flying Thunderbird One. She was as touchy as a flighty deer and responded to everything. Thunderbird Two made her presence known. She withstood the elements and made them do as she pleased. TB1 was slave to every air current, every downdraft, every touch of turbulence. It gave her the needed agility, the flexibility to spin in the air at speeds TB2 couldn't dream of, but she was an ass to fly.

Scott was a hot shot pilot and he loved her responsiveness and equally derided TB2's solidity and reliability.

But at least Thunderbird Two wouldn't accidentally fly into a mountain if the pilot got distracted.

Virgil wasn't really in the mood for wrestling with the Thunderbird. It made his side ache even more.

All she had to do was get him to Brazil, and Alan could fly her back.

Why didn't John wake him? Brains was a brilliant engineer, but his onsite skillset was lacking, particularly for this kind of fire. And who the hell had let him off Thunderbird Two in first place?

Save first, kill brothers later.

The fire was obvious from miles off. Thick columns of smoke reached for the sky creating their own cloud cover.

Damn, it was a bad one.

On approach, he mentally ran through his plan of attack using the information his eyes and TB1 could give him. John had packaged everything they knew and sent it onto him mid-flight. There was some suspicious insulation used in the building. He flung up a hologram of the skyscraper's structure.

Damn, when were they going to stop using that cross bar support design. It made the structure vulnerable to capsule collapse. particularly in hot fires. And this was a hot one.

Thunderbird Two was hovering near an exact example of why that design should never be used again, one section of the building had crumpled under the strain, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the structure, and, in turn, leaving the entire building prone to total collapse.

Goddamnit!

"Hey, Virg, thanks for dropping by." Gordon's flippancy was forced.

"I'm coming down. Slave TB1."

The controls immediately shifted to the blue of auto.

A zip line, the open hatchway of his beloved 'bird, the thump of his boots on her deck plates.

"Situation."

Gordon was at her controls, the harmonics of her fire dampening systems resuming now he was aboard. Flame flickered and died. "Alan and Brains went in to rescue a trapped family. We got them out, but the whole section collapsed before Brains could get free. No space for a pod, we need your exo-suit."

"FAB." As expected, situation unchanged. He slipped through the cockpit access door, heading for the module. "Oh, and Thunderbird Shadow is on approach."

He didn't have time to react to that.

Slipping on the fire version of his exo-suit took a few moments longer than his regular setup. Was it logical to miss his baldric? The retardant suit fit him snug and the thick material actually provided a little support to his aching side.

He needed to get this job done as fast as possible. Then perhaps he should ask Em to look at him. It was getting worse.

Returning to the cockpit, he took up his place on the hatchway again. "Okay, Gordon, get as close as you can and lower me down." He secured a line to the hatch as his brother lowered it. Winds, no doubt hot, buffeted at him.

He aimed the zip line and fired. Sensors confirmed a strong connection and he clipped in the d-ring of his harness. Moments of blur and he was surrounded by flame, smoke and general hell.

"Alan, give me your location."

Data fed to his systems, complete with a tracker to follow. "Great to have you here, Virgil." There was fear in his little brother's voice.

"We'll get him out." His thermal readout screamed at him. "Fast."

Virgil ran.

-o-o-o-

Alan Tracy was a highly experienced rescue operative. In his twenty-one years, he had saved hundreds of people. But he had his specialities, space rescue being one of them, as did all of his brothers.

Fire rescue was one he dreaded.

Perhaps it was because of that space speciality that drove it home. Fire in space was a horror. Fire on Earth, well, it wasn't much better.

So, it was with no lack of relief that he looked up to see his second eldest brother, exo-suit geared up, emerge from the all-encompassing smoke.

"Detail." Virgil's tone was sharp and no nonsense.

"Brains is responsive, but unable to free himself just beyond this door."

Virgil looked up, his eyes assessing the structure. "Gordon, give me a stress readout. Pin lines and supports on this floor."

Numbers passed over the airwaves.

"Alan, step back."

He didn't have to ask twice.

To Alan's surprise, Virgil didn't lift the fallen masonry. He simply went through the wall.

The bright red laser beam cut smoothly through concrete and steel alike. His massive primary claw finished the job.

"Alan, you're on retrieval. Make it fast. This section is unstable."

He darted into the room, his helmet lamp bouncing through the smoke. "Brains!"

"I'm h-here. My ankle."

His light hit a shadowy figure on the floor. "We need to move."

"RAD."

Alan didn't have time to roll his eyes. Reaching down, he lobbed the engineer into a half carry.

"Move it, Alan! It's coming down!"

And the world rumbled. The half carry became a fireman's carry as Alan threw Brains over his shoulders and ran.

Concrete dust. The groan of straining steel. His brother yelling at him to move. That claw came out of nowhere and deflected an airborne chunk of building. Virgil grunted over comms and then swore a blue streak.

"This way!" And there was a stairwell. Behind them the world crumbled. "Move!" The stairs were shaking.

Smoke and sudden flame. A gaping hole in the floor.

"Gordon, I need a zip line retrieval, 129th floor, east wall. Suppress what you can."

"FAB."

And there was a view to the outside. Virgil's laser lit up red again, the reinforced glazing melting before their eyes. That claw and the smash of breaking glass.

The roar of VTOL, quickly followed by those familiar fire breaking harmonics and the green body of Thunderbird Two hovered into view.

"Stand back. Deploying zip line."

As Alan moved, the whistle of a grapple through the opening in the glass, thunked into the concrete floor. Virgil checked it was secure.

Their world rumbled in warning.

"You're first, Brains. Alan, you follow."

"FAB."

He secured Brains to the line and quickly followed, prepared to stabilise the other man at the end to prevent further damage to his ankle.

It was wonderful to be free of the building.

As his feet hit the deck plating of TB2's hatch, the zip line wobbled. "Virgil?"

"This section is going. Gordon, be ready to move!"

"Alan, hang on!" Gordon yelled into the comms.

And to his horror, the side of the building Virgil was standing in, collapsed like a landslide. Concrete, steel and burning insulation sliding down the side of the skyscraper in a terrifying roar of finality.

-o-o-o-

"Virgil!"

For a split second, Kayo's heart froze, caught between beats and two futures. One desperate and filled with tears.

But then the zip line attached to Thunderbird Two ripped free of the tumbling rubble, a suited figure dangling from its end.

Oh god.

"Virgil! Speak to me."

"Kay?" His voice was breathless. "Need a hand."

He was swinging in the breeze, obviously tangled in the line. "Are you secure?" She was moving without an answer.

"Uh, define secure?"

Damn him.

Thunderbird Shadow spun on her axis and dove down beneath her sister and gently rose below her lover. "Gordon, keep her steady."

"Kayo, I am so not moving." There was fear in her brother's voice.

The clatter of Virgil's boots on Shadow's fuselage shoved her heart into her throat.

"Thanks, Kay." Still breathless. Scratches and movement. "Separated and secure. I'm in your hands."

Did he have to sound so happy?

"Gordon, rendezvous here." She sent him the coordinates of a local football field. The order left no room for discussion.

"FAB."

Ever so slowly, ever so aware of her precious cargo, Kayo turned her bird towards the nearby sports arena.

-o-o-o-

Virgil took the moment of riding on the back of his lover's 'bird to attempt to lower his heart rate. That had been close. The floor collapsing beneath him, his mad scramble to connect with the zip line, concrete catching him on the back of his suit, spinning him around, a tangle of limbs, line and the plummet below.

The flashback of mountain scape and a thousand foot drop.

The world tumbling.

Kay's voice.

His beautiful Kay.

Shadow shifted beneath him, her VTOL firing as she came in smoothly to land. Gordon had both his 'bird and TB1 following in. A rush of wind and International Rescue landed as one.

The cockpit in front of him was flung open immediately. He smiled as Kay leapt up and climbed over the back of her 'bird towards him.

He struggled to his feet, hydraulics hissing. "I'm okay, Kay."

She didn't answer, her hands moving to his helmet release. The rush of fresh air tainted by smoke and her gloved hands on his jaw. Green eyes staring up at him, desperate for reassurance.

He slid his left arm from the suit and reaching up, slipped her helmet off, bent down and kissed her softly. "I'm fine. Thank you for the rescue." His voice was a touch hoarse, his lungs still grabbing for air.

Her hands tightened on his shoulders. "You better be."

"You okay, Virg?" Gordon appeared beside Shadow, worry etched into his features.

Slipping his arm back into the suit, he turned and unclipping his harness, leapt off Shadow and landed with a grunt beside his brother. Pain lanced up and down his side and he stumbled. For a moment, he couldn't catch his breath, spots danced in his vision. God.

"Virgil?"

He gasped and blessed oxygen hit his system. Panting. "I'm good. I'm good."

"You don't look good."

"Give me a minute." His heart was doing its best to catch up, thudding madly in his chest. Okay, he definitely needed to speak to Em.

In the distance, the skyscraper continued to burn.

Forcing himself, he straightened up. "We need to finish this job."

Gordon was staring at him, worry in his eyes. "You sure you're up to this?"

He looked down at the aquanaut. "I have to be."

His brother's eyes didn't agree, but he didn't voice it.

Virgil jabbed his comms. "Alan, secure Brains if you haven't already. You've got Thunderbird One. I'll take Two." He lifted up one arm and activated his holographic interface. A skeletal view of the building appeared. "Now the building is fully evacuated - good job with that by the way - we will use a combination of spike deployed firebots and suppressant grenades. TB2's harmonics will take out any surface flares. Kay, you're on spot to the east. Alan, you're spot to the west. Gordon, you're onsite spot when we start deployment. Kay, please advise the authorities to stand clear."

"FAB." Alan's answer was sharp and precise. A moment later, his brother was running across the field to Thunderbird One.

As far as Virgil was concerned, he was welcome to it.

His suit hummed as he strode towards his own 'bird.

A pair of hands caught his arm and he turned. Kay was frowning at him. "Virgil..." She obviously wanted to say something, but hesitated. A flash of movement and she was kissing him. "Fly safe." She handed him his helmet.

"Love you." The words were breathy and said without thought, simply emotion.

She smiled slightly, worry still in her eyes. The sooner this job was over the better.

He turned and headed towards his 'bird.

-o-o-o-

The tactic worked as expected. Starting at the bottom, Thunderbird Two deployed her laser at specified intervals, piercing the building to its core, creating a method of entry for hundreds of small firebots. Preprogrammed to hunt for the source of fires, Brains' little inventions took out the fire level by level. This was backed up by strategic deployment of the suppressant grenades and topical use of the harmonics to catch surface fires. Alan and Kayo spotted flares before they could take root and as the team rose higher and higher, the flame lessened. By the time International Rescue declared the fire defeated, the skyscraper was an unsalvageable wreck, but it wasn't going to fall on anyone, and the fire was out.

Virgil recalled those bots that had survived and gave the order to head home.

Thank god.

Gordon was still eyeing him with worried eyes.

He didn't blame him. Virgil couldn't seem to get a good breath without hurting. Something wasn't right. The moment he was able to set the course across the Pacific, he switched TB2 to auto and lay back, closing his eyes.

"Virg?"

"I'm okay, Gordon."

"No, you're not. You're panting while sitting still."

"I just need to take a breather."

"Sick pun, bro."

Virgil forced a smile. "You would know." A deep breath and he tried not to grimace. "I'll speak to Em when we get home."

"Now I know something is wrong."

"Quit worrying."

"Quit scaring me."

Virgil frowned and opened his eyes, turning to his brother. Those eyes, so similar to his own, were staring at him, and yes, there was fear. "Do I really look that bad?"

"I'm on the verge of locking you out of Two's controls."

Virgil glared at him. "Just try it, kid."

"I will do what is necessary, big brother."

"I'm fine."

"You're as pale as a corpse."

Virgil didn't have an answer to that. "Fine, whatever. Take control. See if I care. I'll go and check on Brains." He pushed his seat back and forced himself to stand, clutching at the headrest when his world suddenly spun. Shit.

"Virgil!"

"I'm...I'm..." But suddenly he couldn't breathe. Not enough oxygen. He couldn't...He gasped desperate for air, but none came.

His legs gave out, hands caught him, lowering him gently to the deck. "Virgil, c'mon, man, don't do this."

His hand flailed and caught uniform. He wanted to reassure his brother, but he couldn't draw breath. He was gaping like a fish out of water. "I...c-"

"Virgil!"

But there was no oxygen and he was suffocating. Panic rose, he struggled, eyesight narrowing as his brain desperately tried to function on nothing.

"Goddamnit, Virgil! Don't do this!"

He couldn't stop it. There was nothing he could do. No matter what he did, his body shut down system by system, his lungs failing to do what they needed to do.

The last he saw was a pair of frightened brown eyes and a mouth yelling his name.

-o-o-o-

End Part Twelve.


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Thirteen

Author: Gumnut

9 - 13 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 4107

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 And here is your cliffhanger resolution. Many apologies for that. Thank you for not killing me :D I hope you enjoy this and thankyou for all your wonderful support.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Gordon Tracy adored his brother Virgil. Ever ask him and he'd deny it through his teeth. Did he understand how the man's brain worked? Not a clue. Did they argue on a regular basis? All the time. But did he love him?

More than life itself.

So, to first have to catch the man as he fell, then watch helpless as he struggled and failed to breathe, his hands desperately scrabbling at Gordon's uniform, and to see him ultimately lose the fight and slip away...

"John!"

Virgil's lips were turning blue.

"JOHN!"

He checked his brother's vitals. No breath, heart-rate struggling, but at speed. What the hell was wrong?

"Gordon?"

"Virgil's collapsed. I need vitals now. Advise Kayo, I'm going to need help."

John rattled off numbers.

The engineer was still wearing his fire suit, minus the helmet. Gordon tore at his clothes, shoving the zip down as far as it would go, freeing up the man's chest. He positioned him ready for CPR, tipping his head back, checking his airways. There were no blockages he could detect.

What the hell had gone wrong?

The ship suddenly slowed and stopped in mid-air, John obviously taking control. A thud on the roof and the overhead hatch was thrown open.

Gordon tipped his brother's head back and breathed into his lungs. He watched his chest.

It barely rose.

Pulse.

Fast, but struggling.

"Goddamnit, Virgil!"

Another breath. Barely any movement.

He ran his hands over Virgil's chest, what the hell was going on? The man was made of frickin' muscle. Why weren't any of them working?

"Kayo, portable scanner, now!"

Pulse.

Nothing.

Shit!

The scanner slammed into his hand. He flicked over the controls. Chest cavity. Heart.

He projected a hologram above his brother.

The answer was obvious.

Virgil's right lung was about a quarter of its normal size, his trachea and heart shoved towards the left.

Tension pneumothorax.

Collapsed lung. His brother literally could not breathe and now his heart could not beat because of the air pressure in his lung cavity.

Hell.

"John, tell me Em is standing beside you and she has trauma experience."

"I'm here, Gordon." The voice was calm, professional and directions began flowing forth. Kayo handed him a large needle, a catheter, and his brother's undershirt was torn away. Gordon had seen Virgil do this to a child in Afghanistan three years ago, but he had never done it himself.

John transmitted a holographic example of exactly what he had to do, transposing it over Virgil's scan. Em's calm voice chanted him through it.

Gordon inserted a needle into his brother's damaged ribcage.

A hiss of air under pressure and Virgil's chest deflated.

A moment. Kayo's fingers lay on her lover's throat.

"He has a pulse." And the vitals hovering above the hologram flared into life.

Except for respiration.

A count and Kayo, tipped his head back and began breathing for him.

Taping the oneway catheter to Virgil's chest, Gordon grabbed the manual ventilator and, touching his sister's shoulder, handed her the device.

Em's voice was still calm, still controlled. "He will have to be monitored for further pneumothoraces, especially under ventilation. John is sending you to Wellington."

Around them, Two roared to life, VTOL replaced by the power of her rear thrusters.

Virgil still wasn't breathing on his own.

C'mon, Virgil, goddamn you.

-o-o-o-

Kayo couldn't think. The plastic bag in her hand was keeping her fiancé alive. Squeeze release, squeeze release.

The mask hid the lips that kissed her. The body that had so wanted her yesterday, lay limp on the deck of his own 'bird. In the spaces between her heartbeats, she was screaming in silence.

She paused his resuscitation, holding back, allowing the CO2 to accumulate in the hope it would trigger a breath. Count.

Nothing.

She breathed for him again.

In.

Out.

Please, love.

In.

Out.

Pause.

Across from her, Gordon's hands were shaking in his bloody medical gloves. The clinical part of her mind still functioning at a basic emergency level noted that she would have to watch her brother for shock.

The body beneath her fingers suddenly shook and took in a shuddering breath.

Oh, god, thank everything.

"Gordon, oxygen mask."

It landed in her hand and she strapped it over her lover's face.

Another breath.

Another.

She ran her fingers through his hair and noted her own hands were shaking as badly as Gordon's.

Virgil's breathing evened out.

She set the oxygen level to compensate for his reduced lung capacity.

His eyelids flickered.

And he was looking at her, beautiful foggy brown eyes.

"Virgil?"

He blinked ever so slowly. Voice barely there. "K-Kay?"

She touched his cheek and his eyes closed. "Virgil?"

They blinked open slowly again. "Wha-happnd?"

"You're going to be okay. You had some trouble breathing."

"Oh." She got the distinct impression he didn't understand. "H-rts."

"I know, love."

"Lv you." And he was drifting, eyelids drooping.

She ran her hand through his hair and he relaxed into her touch.

She bit her lip as her vision blurred.

-o-o-o-

The first thing Em learnt about the Tracy family in a crisis was that they moved as one.

She had been sitting in the lounge listening to the rescue. John had thrown up various camera angles into the centre of the circle. She had the horrible experience of watching Virgil once again cheat death, this time escaping from a wave of concrete instead of water.

The hand in hers tightened involuntarily and a glance in Scott's direction tore her heart. Did this happen every time they went out? Was death always this close? Would she have to sit here and watch Scott risk his life day after day?

The future stretched out before her in a roadmap of pain.

And it hurt.

His blue eyes glanced in her direction, caught her stare and frowned. "Em?"

She bit her lip and realised she loved him.

A blink and a wave of fear.

She hardly knew him, yet...

"Are you okay?"

Bloody hell.

She found her voice. "I'm...I'm fine. I want to see Virgil as soon as he gets back."

"You will. Even if I have to hog tie him."

The skyscraper fire was defeated, clearly demonstrating International Rescue's superior technology and smooth teamwork, and the team was heading home.

Scott had led her out onto the balcony for the chance of spotting Thunderbird One on approach, when Gordon's panicked voice yelled over comms.

"Doctor Harris!" And she found herself conducting a needle decompression of Virgil's chest cavity via remote.

The terror on Scott's face tore her heart in two.

The moment Virgil was stabilised, the Tracy clan deployed. John was somehow flying both Thunderbird Two and Shadow. Thunderbird One shook the house as she smoothly returned to her hanger below the pool.

Alan appeared in the room moments later still in his uniform, the stench of burnt building following him.

Scott was briefing his Grandmother and Uncle Crispin. Penelope and Parker stood quietly beside them as Em gave what medical information she could.

And then they were all moving.

Scott's hand in hers, he gave her a badge. She blinked at the IR symbol.

"Temporary comms, so you can keep in contact with Kayo and Gordon. Tap to activate." And he was leading her to the elevator.

The rush of movement. Thunderbird Two's hanger, ever so empty of the great machine.

Tracy Two.

Scott swearing at his hoverchair.

John hurrying past, muttering a confirmation of Thunderbird Shadow's return to the island before he slipped into the cockpit, Alan not far behind.

Uncle Crispin holding their grandmother's hand and speaking kind words.

Scott not holding hers.

-o-o-o-

Em Harris had gotten used to being alone.

She didn't grow up alone. She had a beautiful baby brother, a cherished mum and a dad who told wonderful stories and was paid to write them. Their family had travelled the world. She had landed on every continent on the planet. Explored rainforests, deserts, cities, she had spent most of her high school years doing schoolwork via a satellite in a tent, a van, in a three star hotel.

It had been a challenge, but it had been a life.

The one time she had stopped moving was to attend medical school, planting herself firmly in her home state of Western Australia. Even then she had darted between an apartment in Perth and the family home further south in Margaret River.

She discovered that despite her love of traveling the world, she had firm roots, and she would always have a home in those tree covered hills not far from where the Indian Ocean met the Southern.

It had been fate that had seen her and her family in Indonesia in 2060. The one place no-one should have been, yet so many were and had lost their lives.

Somehow she had survived, despite losing everything.

She had crawled back to that house in Margaret River and learnt how to live her life again.

With half her body.

All by herself.

And she had gotten used to it.

But now, over five years later, as she sat staring out at the city of Wellington, surrounded by luxury, and the most caring family on the planet, she had never felt more alone.

She stared down at the city lights and knew one of them was Wellington's hospital where a caring man was slowly recovering. His outlook was good. Em had made sure everything was covered, liaising with his doctors.

The cause had been, as suspected, a poorly healed rib amongst the train wreck down the man's side. All that strenuous activity over the past month or so had seen that rib erode the surface of his lung. His body would heal partially and then more damage would be done. It had only been a matter of time.

Virgil had been bloody lucky the last straw had occurred when it did. If he had been alone, he would have died.

There had been surgery to prevent it from happening again, and Em had made sure that amongst it all there was some skin grafts and long-term wound repair. She did her best to keep her word to Kayo and do her best for Virgil. She had strong hope that once recovered, the rescue operative would be able to function with little or no pain.

Which is what lay at the crux of her current problem.

From the moment Virgil was injured, Scott had retreated. She had lost the lovely joking man she had grown to admire, and yes, she had admitted it to herself, love, goddamnit, she'd fallen in love with a man who currently didn't exist.

She looked down at her hands in her lap. They looked small and helpless, though she knew they weren't. These hands had saved lives. Even saved her own.

Was it stupid to miss holding a man's hand?

She shook herself. She was stronger than this. And it wasn't as if the man had left her or kicked her out, he was just pre-occupied.

With his brother.

She had been witness to the awesome power of the Tracy family. Not just the way they moved wealth, but the close-knit inner workings of the family. How if one fell, everything stopped. Froze for the moment, and then the gears shifted, brothers moved and the machine started again.

Even two operatives down, International Rescue was still functioning.

And it broke her heart.

It was not sustainable.

As a doctor, as a friend, and as a woman in love, she was watching a family slowly killing itself. It was as if they had been cursed with a burden. Who had started this? Who had set them on this path? And why?

Sure, the great Jeff Tracy. But what drove them? And quite frankly it was like cattle to the slaughter. If this continued, she had no doubt that the brothers would eventually lose everything.

She had finally seen Virgil's medical records and she had had to leave the room. She was a professional, but this was ridiculous.

Bullet wounds? What the hell? How did such a kind and giving man end up with so many scars on top of scars?

How had it been allowed to happen?

And what would she see if she dug up Scott's medical records? What scars did the man hide under his shirt? What had those beautiful blue eyes witnessed? What would her fingers have to trace if she ever had the chance to touch him?

She closed her eyes.

Who was she bloody kidding?

God, it all just hurt.

"Doctor Harris? You okay?"

She startled. Gordon. The one brother she hadn't managed to really say anything to other than the words necessary to save his brother's life.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was miles away."

He frowned at her. It was startling to see Virgil's eyes staring out of a face so different in shape and colour. They were so different, yet so brothers, even their voices echoed each other. "You sure? You need anything?"

"No, no...I'm fine."

"Okay, I'm sorry, but after recent events, I am so not taking that line at face value ever again." He approached her and held out his hand. "And I apologise, it is ridiculous that I haven't formally introduced myself. Hi, I'm Gordon Tracy, your local aquanaut and roving ocean saviour." And there was that quirky smile, so echoing his eldest brother's that her heart lurched.

She reached out her hand automatically and took his. So warm. What was it with Tracy brothers and warm hands? "I'm very pleased to meet you, Gordon." She blinked and realised he was still in his IR uniform. "Have you been out again?"

He took a step back and rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Ah, yeah, that cyclone off Broome made landfall earlier. Took out Port Hedland again. Had to lend a hand with a ship that had run aground."

"Alan didn't have to do that same manoeuvre Virgil did, did he?"

Gordon snorted. "No. Besides, I think Virgil is the only one who could have pulled it off anyway." He sighed. "Thank you so much for your help in saving his life."

She smiled sadly. "I'm glad I was there. You did very well. That is not an easy procedure."

"Yeah, well, I had expert guidance and all the best tech to back me up." And he was grinning at her.

"How can you do that?" She said it, and then regretted it immediately. She hadn't meant to say anything. Shit.

But the aquanaut simply tipped his head to one side. "What? Laugh it off?"

She had no choice but to nod.

"Better than the alternative." And there was that smile again, full of mischief. "I'd rather laugh than cry. Far too much of that out there already." The smile turned back into that grin. "Gordon Tracy, saving the planet, one laugh at a time."

She had to admit it was infectious, and, despite herself, she smiled.

Gordon was shorter than his three elder brothers, consequently he didn't have to bend to catch her expression. "Are you sure you're okay?"

To her horror, her vision blurred.

She blinked madly as Gordon frowned at her. "It's nothing. I'm fine." She straightened in her harness. "I'm just tired."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

She stared at him. His eyes so like Virgil's, his expression so like Scott's, so damn Tracy, so damn selfless. "No. No, I'm fine."

He was still frowning. "You're sure?"

She reached out a hand and touched his arm. Firm muscle beneath tough fabric. "Go get yourself cleaned up. It is me who should be helping you." She forced a smile. "Do you adore your coffee like Virgil?"

"Hah! Oh, god, no. That relationship defies definition." He was grinning again. Distraction achieved. "Though I won't say no to a hot chocolate, if you'll join me?" His eyes were glittering with mischief.

Her smile was far more genuine this time. "Deal. I'll see if I can dig up some marshmallows. Go slip into something more comfortable."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. For god's sake, this brother was a loon. She found herself laughing. "Go, get."

"Going, going." And he turned, waving an arm in her direction.

She smiled after him. A sigh, and she headed towards the kitchen.

-o-o-o-

"Scott, you there, bro?"

The eldest Tracy was gliding down the corridor towards his brother's hospital room as Gordon's voice broke through his thoughts. He stopped, shifting to one side, out of the way of general hospital traffic. Another three weeks of these damn casts were going to send him insane. "Yeah, Gords? How's that ship?"

"Ship's all good and dandy, but you might want to get back here."

"What? Why?"

"I think I broke your girlfriend."

"What?! Girlfriend? What the hell did you do?"

"I don't know! One minute we were just talking, she was smiling, even. Next she had tears in her eyes."

"You made her cry?"

"Hell, if I know! You just need to get back here." A sigh. "Look, Scott, it has been a shit of a week. Both of you came home for rest, and there has been anything but. Even I know that can't be good. Virg is in good hands, you know that. You need to take some time for you and Em."

"Gordon-"

"No, bro, no stoic leader bullshit, I can see that expression from here. Virgil isn't in his right mind to kick your ass, and I'm his backup on this."

"Since when?"

"Since birth, you moron."

"Gordon-"

"She's worth it, Scott."

That shut him up.

"Come home, bro, please."

A breath. "FAB."

As Gordon signed off, Scott let his eyes close for a moment. His brother was right. It had been a shit week. Panic, doctors and a brother and sister in pain. He dropped his head into his one functional hand.

"Are you alright, sir?" A nurse was frowning down at him.

Scott straightened. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm fine, thank you." A forced smile.

"Oh, Mr Tracy, I didn't recognise you." And the concern shifted to dazzled starstruck.

Oh, for the love of- "Could you excuse me, please?" He moved the hoverchair assertively in the direction of Virgil's room. The woman was forced to move or be rundown. She moved.

Scott slapped his hand on the scanner held out by their security guard, this time it was Gerald, and waved his ident card at the door.

Gerald held the door as he hovered through.

Virgil's eyes caught him the moment he slipped in. "Hey, Scott." His voice was still little more than a rasp, but they had been reassured he was healing. Em had been one hell of an advocate. Hell, he swore the staff here dreaded the sound of her hoverscoot in the hallway. She took no shit, and backed by the name Tracy, Virgil had had nothing but the best of care.

Kayo was sitting beside the bed. Her expression stormy. Virgil was pale.

Scott frowned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Virgil never could lie worth anything.

Kayo glared daggers at Scott.

Okay, so he wasn't welcome here at the moment.

"I need to go back to the house. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm good." The oxygen cannula under Virgil's nose twitched.

Scott sighed, and shook his head. "God, Virg, you lie like crap. Stop trying." He turned to Kayo. "Remember, he's fragile. You bust him, I bust you. Understood?"

"Scott!" Virgil's rasp was ridiculous.

Kayo's tone was firm. "Understood. As long as you consider it mutual."

"Agreed."

"What the hell?!" And Virgil was trying to cough. "G'dam'it. Ow." Kayo immediately jumped in to steady him.

Scott frowned. "Take it easy, Virg. Just stating terms."

His brother struggled to get himself under control and Scott fought the urge to rush over. Kayo had this.

Virgil glared at him through his eyebrows. His eyes clearly warned him off touching Kayo in any shape or form. Scott reached over and squeezed a foot through the bed covers and offered him a small smile.

Eventually the coughing fit passed and Virgil lay back against his pillows exhausted. Now Kayo was glaring at Scott.

"Sorry." He swallowed. "Call me if you need anything." And he was backing out the door.

"Gerald, could you please call Andre? Ask him to meet me with the car out front."

"Yes, sir."

Scott stared at the door a moment before gliding back down the corridor.

-o-o-o-

The house in Kelburn had been bought out of necessity some years ago. With Wellington being the nearest major city to Tracy Island and consequently the closest major hospital, it made sense that the Tracy family own a residence in the area.

It was white, tall and had a great view. A pool out the back, balconies and large windows. As close to home as they could get without the tropical weather. It was used occasionally for visits to the city, but mostly as a convalescence residence. Particularly if a family member could go home, but couldn't fly out to the island. It was likely they would be here for a few weeks yet.

Andre helped Scott make his way into the house, but then Scott handed the man a credit card and told him to grab Cecil and go treat each other at the corner cafe.

"He was all 'Don't you dare spoil this for me, Gordon, this man is my absolute hero'. And what does he do? Makes a complete goofball of himself all by himself." His brother chuckled. "Yeah, Virg, still hero worships Kip. Your uncle does right by him, though, and we have learnt a lot. But Virgil. Such a laugh."

Scott slipped as quietly as he could into the room. Em was smiling at Gordon. "When I was little, he used to come visit and tell my brother and I such amazing stories. It all seemed so far away at first, but then when Dad started writing and we started travelling, those stories came to life. Uncle Crispin usually hunted us down. Mum said 'Crispy' should have written like my Dad and made a little money on the side. But he claimed he was more interested in saving lives than blabbing about it."

"He has certainly made a career of it."

"Yeah, he has."

The room fell quiet.

"Where are your parents nowadays?"

"Uh." Em paled. "They've passed on."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. Do you see your brother?"

"No...uh, no. He's gone, too. It's just me." Her smiled was forced. "And Uncle Crispin."

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. It was a few years ago now."

"That doesn't make it any easier."

"No, no, it doesn't. But Mum and Dad and Jeth wouldn't want me moping, so I do my best to keep things moving." Another forced smile. "Do my best and always remember them. It is all I can really do."

"Jeth? Jeth Harris?" Gordon sat up straight in his chair. "Jeth Harris, author of 'Twenty-one Undersea Adventures on a Wednesday Afternoon'?"

Em smirked. "Yes, my Dad wrote children's books."

"Oh my god! I adored that book. It was one of the reasons why I got into marine biology. I still have it on my bookshelf. He is related to Kip Harris?" Gordon laughed out loud. "Virg is going to shit a brick." An indrawn breath. "But he died in 2060, a victim of the tsunami in Indonesia, brought on by...aw, hell."

Em had her hands up just as Scott's heart fell through the floor. "Gordon, please it is in the past. None of us could have done anything."

"But that was the Hood. Oh, god, will that asshole ever stop...goddamnit! I am so sorry."

"There is no reason for you to apologise, Gordon. It wasn't anyone's fault except that bastard, and he's dead. You have no idea how much I hope he suffered at the very end."

Gordon's eyes darkened to little more than flint. "Not enough. Never enough."

Em reached out and touched Gordon's arm. Scott tensed, despite himself.

"He breaks us, he wins. He's never going to break us, so he will never win."

Gordon's lips were thin. "If you knew half of what that man has done to this family..." He shook his head. "And he took yours. I just...He is lucky he is dead. Damn lucky." And it was that very moment that Gordon caught sight of his brother hovering by the door. "Shit."

Em turned her beautiful pale blue eyes in his direction. They widened. "Scott?"

-o-o-o-

End Part Thirteen


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Fourteen

Author: Gumnut

13 - 19 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2574

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 ::runs around in circles screaming madly:: My characters have it in for me. ::wails::

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

The moment Scott left, Kay's glare returned to Virgil.

He held up his hands in exasperation. "What the hell was I supposed to do? If Brains dies, International Rescue dies with him!"

Kayo straightened in her chair. "And what do you think would happen to International Rescue without you?"

"I-"

"Virgil, you can't keep doing this."

"Doing what? You think I did this on purpose?" He shifted against his pillows. He was so goddamned tired, but Kay had been simmering all day and he had had it.

"Of course, you did it on purpose!" And there were tears in her eyes.

"Kay!"

"You ignored your health for the sake of others."

"It was for Brains!"

"This time. But what about last time, or the time before that, or before that?"

"I'm a rescue operative. It's what I do."

"You died!"

"I didn't know there was anything wrong with me."

"What the pain wasn't enough for you? Do you need to be visibly bleeding to warrant time off?"

"What do you expect me to do? You know what we do. You do what we do. We've been doing it for years!"

"I expect you to respect yourself as much as you respect me."

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I love you, Virgil. I do." She closed her eyes. "Ever so much. I want to share your life, but I can't share it, if you give it all to International Rescue. You can't keep doing that." She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Virgil's heart stuttered and it had nothing to do with his injury. He reached out to touch her but she slipped from the chair and stepped away. That hurt even more. "Kay?"

"No, Virgil, you have to understand this. You can't keep pushing the limits. It is going to kill you. Without you, there is no International Rescue. There is no us. There is nothing."

He reached for her again, desperate to touch her. "Kay!" She took another step back. Her head was shaking 'no', another tear making its way across her beautiful skin. "Kay, no, don't, please don't!"

"It has to change. Things have to change. I can't...I can't..." Her breath hitched and she turned away. "I can't." She shoved the door open, startling the security officer on the other side, and, as cat-like as ever, she fled the room.

"Kay, no!" The machinery monitoring him screamed as he tried to get out of bed. Several nurses came running and he was buried under a sea of medical white.

"Mr Tracy, calm down!"

"Kay!" His face was wet. He struggled against hands. "Kay!"

"Mr Tracy!"

"Kay, please!" But his heart was hammering in his chest and he was gasping for breath. Spots danced in his vision. He couldn't.

Please, Kay, I'll do anything...anything...

"Mr Tracy, if you don't calm down, I will be forced to sedate you."

He stared at the blonde-haired nurse so opposite from his Kay.

He let all his muscles go, falling slack back against the bed. A sound far too much like a whimper passed his lips.

Kay?

God.

Anything for Kay.

-o-o-o-

"Scott?"

She stared at him as he slid from the shadows, an expression of horror on his face. "You lost your family in the tsunami of 2060? The tsunami caused by artificial seaquakes triggered by the Hood. In his attempt to get his hands on our technology."

Her throat grew tight, but she nodded once.

"And the accident that led to your paralysis. That was five years ago." Those gorgeous blue eyes were boring into hers. "The same incident?"

She closed her eyes and nodded once more.

"My god, Em." His voice was hoarse. "How can you even bear to look at us."

Her eyes shot open. "It wasn't your fault. None of it was your fault!" She would not have him or any of his brothers feeling guilty for this. "It's happened. It's in the past. It is not your fault and honestly, I really don't want to talk about it."

That shut him up.

Gordon was doing an impression of a tennis spectator. Scott spared a moment to glare at his brother and the younger one obviously got the message. "Okay, that is my cue to exit stage left. Thank you, Em, for the lovely hot chocolate and the extra marshmallows were particularly delicious. Don't worry, I won't tell John you found his stash." Gordon grinned as she blinked. He waved a hand at his brother. "Scott, m'boy, this one is a keeper. Highly recommended. Don't break her." And before his brother could reply, the aquanaut loped up the steps to the door across the room and made a run for it.

Gordon's absence left a silence.

Scott stood on one side, Em on the other. His blue eyes were staring at her as if he could draw something from her. Perhaps it was forgiveness that he was seeking.

God forbid if it was redemption.

"I didn't want you to know for this exact reason."

"What reason?" His voice was quiet.

"Because International Rescue was as much a victim of the Hood as anyone else." She swallowed. "I know you suspect him for the disappearance of your father.'

'How do you know that?"

She straightened. "I had a lot of time on my hands after the accident. I needed distraction. I also needed to know my family hadn't died in vain." That last came out as a whisper despite her determination not to become emotional.

Scott's lips thinned as he edged his hoverchair in her direction. "You did some research."

"I had to." She didn't move as he drew near. "You did your best."

"It wasn't enough."

"It will never be enough."

He stopped and his expression froze.

She pushed on. "You can't save everyone, Scott."

"I know that."

"Do you really?"

"Of course. But we can try."

"And die trying?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Virgil nearly died because he kept trying."

"Virgil made a mistake."

"No, we all made a mistake. The signs were there, but we acted on none. He died, Scott. If he had been alone, we would have lost him. Pure chance saved him."

That impacted on those eyes. It hurt to see the sudden terror flare up. She didn't want to hurt him. It was the last thing she wanted to do. "Scott..."

"What are you trying to say?" It wasn't cold, but it wasn't kind either. More desperate than anything else.

She straightened. "Sooner or later you or one of your brothers is not going to be as lucky."

"We're aware of the possibility. It comes with the territory."

It sounded like something said many times before. Like rote or a reassurance.

"Scott, it is not a possibility. It is a certainty."

He frowned. "How do you know that? How can you say that?"

"Have you seen Virgil's medical records?"

"Seen? I was there for every damn incident!"

"Then why can't you see?! How many times does your brother have to take a hit for it to sink home that this can only end in tears?"

"We save lives!"

"By giving your own?!"

"Our lives are ours to give if necessary."

"What about your brothers' lives, Scott? Are they yours to give? They will follow you to the ends of the Earth. On your say, they will risk everything. Are you prepared to sacrifice your brothers?"

"They know what they are doing."

"No, not them. You. You run International Rescue. It is your decision. Are you willing to send them to their deaths?"

Those eyes were on fire and they tore at her heart. His tone froze the air in the room. "I am aware of my responsibilities."

She let her shoulders droop just a little. "Then find another way. Please before the inevitable happens. Please Scott."

His expression hurt as he pinned her with his eyes. "How can you possibly judge us? You don't even know us."

"Because I don't have to. It is that damn obvious." She turned away. "I'm sorry. I-" She looked down at her hands again, curled in her lap. "It just hurts."

-o-o-o-

He was a fool. A fool to think anyone could see their vision like he and his brothers did. Deep inside a part of him curled up and died. This beautiful woman...no, he was a fool. She was just like all the others.

"You don't have to watch if you don't want to. You are able to leave at any time."

The immediate hurt that flickered across her face cut into him, but her expression resolved itself, a professional calm slipping into place. "I'll keep that in mind."

He pressed his lips together as his temper flared. "Please excuse me." Spinning the hoverchair in place he left the room, escaping into the corridors of the house.

"What the hell, Scott?"

He startled. "Gordon? Were you eavesdropping?!"

The aquanaut straightened, a hand going to the back of his neck. "No...yes...kinda...whatever. What do you think you are doing?! Get your ass back in there!"

"What? She clearly doesn't understand what we do here."

"Oh, god, you are a moron."

"And you are an ass. Get the hell out of my way."

"No way, bro. That woman cares about you and all you can see is 'The Mission'."

"Gordon-"

"She's worried about you! Can't you see that?"

"She thinks I'm going to order you all to your deaths!"

"Sure, that's a possibility, but look beyond that Scott. Em cares!"

"Cut the jokes. This is not the time."

"And this is not a joke. Christ, Scott! She was being damn honest with you and all you did was take offence." His brother's eyes flickered red in the light as if he was possessed. "Honestly, have you seen Virgil's medical records lately? It is quite a picture."

Scott stared at his brother, betrayal slicing through his heart.

A door slammed, followed by a muttered curse. Both of them looked up to see Kayo tear into the hallway, her expression broken.

Oh god, his sister was crying.

Scott couldn't help but stare for a frozen moment. "Kayo?"

Her eyes widened, obviously not expecting to find two of her brothers outside her rooms. Her face shone wetly in the hall light.

A spike of fear shot through him. "Virgil?"

And her stance changed, fury rising over and above whatever was causing the tears. "Is an idiot." She shoved past the both of them, flung open her door and, walking through, slammed it behind her.

Scott and Gordon stared at each other.

Shit.

-o-o-o-

Virgil stared at the ceiling tiles. Sixteen holes by sixteen holes. Ten across the room. Fifteen down the length. Chequerboard if he squinted. Smiley face if he connected each square in its own piece of pixel art. Interrupted by the smoke detector and a fire sprinkler, destroying the neat pattern.

Whoever had installed the light in the room was an idiot. It was not in the centre and that bugged him the most.

He closed his eyes.

He had been on this path so long, it was hard to imagine any other. In truth, there were many. He had skill, talent and money. There literally was nothing tying him to International Rescue except the love of his family and the challenge of the job.

A deep breath and there was pain.

Tears in Kay's eyes.

He couldn't.

Things have to change.

It broke his heart, but he knew that if push came to shove, what his choice had to be.

But god it hurt.

His comms going off scared him silly. What the hell? He was supposed to be asleep, for goodness sake. "What?!"

"Virgil? You okay?" Scott.

"As okay as I can be. What's wrong?"

"Kayo just got home."

"And?"

"Are you okay?"

"I've already answered that question."

Silence fell at the other end of the line.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Virgil-"

"What?!"

"What's wrong?"

Everything. "I'm fine."

"Don't give me bullshit."

"You're the one who contacted me."

"Because I'm worried."

"You're always worried."

"With good cause."

"Well, I'm sorry to tax your brain cells."

"For Christ sake, Virg-"

"You know what, I don't care."

"What?!"

"Now is a good a time as any. Scott, I quit."

The sudden silence from his comms ate the room.

"What?" Scott's voice was deadly quiet.

"I quit International Rescue. I'm sorry. I don't have a choice. I can't do it anymore."

"What?" Disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Scott. Talk to you tomorrow. I just...no, I'm sorry, I can't." He hit his comms and wiped his face, his fingers tangling in his oxygen cannula.

God.

Shit.

Oh, hell.

It hurt.

-o-o-o-

Scott sat frozen.

But then Gordon seemed to be suffering from the same affliction, the aquanaut staring at him completely stunned.

A moment and his heart started beating. "Did Virgil say what I think he just said?" Please tell me no.

Gordon opened his mouth. "I...it has to be the medication. We will let him sleep and talk to him about it tomorrow."

"Uh." It was like the whole world had up and bit him. "Kayo-"

Gordon held up his hands. "Hey, no, man. You are not going in there. Let it all rest and we can discuss it calmly tomorrow."

He blinked. "Em." And suddenly it all just hurt.

"That, you need to fix."

"How?"

"Go back in there. C'mon, Scott, admit it, you like her."

"I-"

"Screw the mission, bro. Take a damn minute for yourself! You don't owe the world everything." To emphasise his point, Gordon grabbed the hoverchair and gave it a shove in the direction of the doors to the lounge. "C'mon, Scott, you both deserve it."

He stared at the doors.

What if-?

"Scott, you only have so many chances."

A glance in his brother's direction and he caught something passionate shining in Gordon's eyes. What?

Oh, for the love of-

He shoved the controls forward and barrelled the doors open with his foot.

Okay, that might not have been the best idea. Ow.

Screw it.

Em wasn't in the room.

Huh?

Pushing the chair across the room, he pushed his way through another set of doors and into the corridor that led to the guest quarters and Em's rooms.

He didn't let himself think, just kept going until he was confronted by her door.

No thought, just a knock.

No answer.

Another knock. "Em?"

The door was flung open by Doctor Harris. Fully dressed, pale Doctor Harris, with a suitcase open on the bed behind her. "Yes?"

"Virgil quit."

She blinked, something pain-filled flickering across her face, before her professionalism returned. "Good for him."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"No. And no, I didn't say anything to him. Not my prerogative. I thought speaking to his commander would be more appropriate."

Scott looked down to where her feet should have been. "Perhaps."

Silence fell.

"Look if you don't mind, I have a plane to catch."

Despite his determination, despite his defences, the declaration hurt. "Don't go."

Ice blue eyes stared down at him. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to."

"Do you always get what you want?"

"No." He looked down. "No, I don't."

He must have said something right because a soft touch landed on his cheek. "No, no, you don't."

He looked up and was caught by her gaze.

"Please, Em, don't go."

-o-o-o-

End Part Fourteen


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Fifteen

Author: Gumnut

19 - 23 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 3579

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 Well, this happened. I had nothing to do with any of it, these characters have minds of their own. I hope you enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

He woke exhausted, his brain foggy and not responding.

He was in an unfamiliar room.

He was fully dressed.

There was a woman in his arms.

Scott Tracy startled as his brain finally came fully online.

Wellington.

Virgil.

Em.

He blanked for a moment.

Em?

The woman was breathing softly beside him, her cloud of dark hair, a halo around her head. She was as fully dressed as he was, her skirt hiding her injuries as always. His right arm was under her, holding her close. His left arm, in its cast, rested mostly on himself, but his fingers were brushing her hip.

Her face was turned towards him.

She looked so fragile in her sleep. Her face lax, her skin pale porcelain unpinched by worry or concern.

As if hearing his thoughts, she frowned. A gentle crease in her brow changing the whole expression of her face.

He resisted the urge to reach out and smooth that wrinkle away.

She had almost left him.

Left him before he had even managed to declare any intention. Sure, he had kissed her, oh so long ago in the roundhouse, on that cliff, far away on Tracy Island. But then Virgil collapsed and everything had fallen with him. Scott had slipped into old habit, stepping up for his brother, being there for Virgil and, he admitted to himself, leaving her behind.

Discovering his decisions had killed her family and crippled her for life had hurt more than he thought possible.

She murmured something in her sleep. He frowned.

Intentions?

He had intentions.

Gordon was right. He couldn't let her go. She had done something to him. Whether she was smiling or calling him on his shit, there was something in her voice, in her face, in _her_...that he needed. Something he had to have. The thought of losing her hurt.

He had reached for her as she reached out to touch his face, caught her with his good arm and drawn her in. She was small in his arms, almost tiny, yet so fiery, so strong, so able to kick his ass when he needed it. She didn't struggle, but the shock on her face had been plain, her pale eyes wide and staring at him. "Scott?"

"Please don't go. I need you."

"You need a holiday. You need a break. You all do." She was stroking his hair. "Please, Scott."

His spine had straightened at that. "Are those your terms?"

"My terms? My god. How can you possibly think..." Her hoverscoot fired, her fingers flicking automatically across the controls. He clung to her and they were both propelled back towards the bed, colliding with the mattress. Her flailing arm hit her suitcase and it slipped from the bed, clothes scattering across the floor. "Goddamnit, let me go!" She shoved at him and he released her.

She sat there, hoverscoot rammed up against the bed, hanging a little crooked in the air, her hand steadying herself on the mattress, her beautiful eyes glaring fire at him. "Terms, Scott? What? You want to weigh yours and your brothers' lives against whether I will stay here or not?"

"Em-"

"Our relationship is not dependent on International Rescue. I am not part of International Rescue. You are. You have the power to stop the trainwreck that is coming. I can only warn you. I can see it. I can help heal the injuries along the way. But only you can stop it." She turned away. "Our relationship..." She turned back to glare at him. "Do we have one? Do you want one?"

"Yes." The word passed his lips without thought. She was so angry, so passionate.

"Then stop treating me like the enemy! I'm on your side." And she ran out of steam, her chest heaving, face flushed. Her shoulders dropped and she leant heavily against the bed. "God, you're hard work."

He had no answer to that.

She eyed him. "And I suppose you've been in that damn chair all day?" The switch from woman to doctor was subtle, but there.

"It has been necessary."

"I doubt that." She sighed as he frowned at her. "Come here."

He did as he was told and found himself subject to a thorough examination. His arm, his leg, his ribcage and his abdominal scar. She even took his pulse and felt his forehead.

He tracked her with his eyes.

"Diagnosis: Terminal idiocy. Have you rested today at all?"

"Uh..." Had he?

"Go to bed, Scott." She turned and began picking clothes off the floor.

"No."

"Goddamnit, don't you listen to anyone?"

"Have you rested today? I know you were at the hospital this morning. What did you do this afternoon?"

Her expression betrayed her.

"Pot, kettle, Em."

Her hands fisted. "Just...aaargh, god! Go to bed, Scott!"

"No."

"Bloody hell."

"Not without you."

She froze, staring at him. "What?"

"You want me to go to bed, you're coming with me."

"You're kidding."

He arched an eyebrow. "Well, that's a response I've never received before." She was still staring. It was his turn to sigh. "I just want some company, Em. Please."

His honesty softened her expression. A compromise landed them in her room, on her bed, his arms full of this beautiful woman with such fire in her veins.

And they had talked. Of nothing of importance, nothing worth arguing over. No International Rescue. Just stories about their childhood and goofball brothers. Somewhere between Perth and the Great Barrier Reef he fell asleep.

Early morning sunlight was peering under the blinds, sketching her out in sharper shadows.

She muttered his name in her sleep and shuddered under his hands.

She hadn't left.

He still had a chance.

-o-o-o-

Kayo woke with Virgil's pillow in her arms.

But it was only a pillow. He hadn't slept on it. It had none of his scent. He wasn't here.

Her eyes were crusty, her throat was still tight and her head throbbed. There had been sleep but it could be counted in minutes not hours. Her brain had not given her any rest, scenarios spinning around her head, desperate to find a solution that did not involve losing Virgil.

She closed her eyes and fought the tears. She had shed too many already.

It seemed her inner calm had left her. Only Virgil could do that. Only he could stir her inner demons with both terror and joy. Only Virgil.

She buried her face in his pillow.

Someone knocked on her door.

"Tin?"

Gordon.

She didn't answer him.

He knocked again. "Tin, I know you're in there. C'mon, Sis, you're needed out here." A pause. "Virgil's quit International Rescue."

Her eyes shot open. A moment of shock and she was out of bed and flinging open the door.

Gordon's eyes widened as she landed in front of him. "Hey, Tin. Ah, good morning." He was looking her up and down.

She peered down to find herself wearing only a crop top and cotton shorts. The emerald in her bellybutton flickered in the light from the hallway. She had no doubt her hair resembled more of a haystack than its usual tight appearance. A glare of challenge in her brother's direction strangled any comment he might have been considering. "What did Virgil do?"

Gordon blinked. "He didn't speak to you first?"

She intensified her glare.

Her brother's shoulders drooped. "C'mon, Tin, I know you and Virgil had words last night. He told Scott he was quitting. What the hell happened?"

"Not your business, Gordon."

"I beg to differ, Tin. If Virgil quits, it affects all of us. He's my brother, you're my sister."

"An argument used on us all the time."

"Then you should be damn grateful so many people care about you. You look like shit, Tin. What the hell happened?"

"Where is Scott?"

"Indisposed. He has his own problems. I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

"What problems?"

"Future defining problems. Same deal as you two. Now spill. How do we fix this?"

"Who says it should be fixed?"

That brought him to a screeching halt.

"Leaving International Rescue could be what is best for Virgil." It tore her heart. She knew how much he loved his job, how much purpose it gave him and how much difference to the world it made. But flashes of her injured lover, bleeding, groaning in pain, desperately trying to breathe, the mass of scars on his body...they crushed the dream, fought the positives down and drowned them in the pain his job gave them. "At least he might live a little longer."

Gordon gaped at her. "You can't mean that."

"Yes, I can. He nearly died, Gordon, again. How many times is that now? I don't know, I'm losing count. How many times before it is the last time? How long before I lose him, Gordon?"

"It's a risk-"

Something climbed up her throat and strangled all thought. No! "He's mine!" She snarled through her teeth. "Goddamnit, you can't have him!"

She slammed the door in his face.

-o-o-o-

Em woke warm. She was being held, warm breath on her shoulder. Opening her eyes brought her face to face with a pair of familiar smiling blue. "Good morning."

"'Morning." Her voice was husky with disuse.

A finger was tracing figure eights on her shoulder.

Her eyes slid closed a moment before opening again. So warm. So safe.

She could lie here forever.

She was in bed with Scott Tracy.

Okay, not really. They were fully dressed and actually lying on top of the bed, but she was in his arms and he was smiling at her. Daydreams were made of stuff like this.

She rolled herself over and snuggled into his side.

His arm wrapped around her tighter and he kissed her hair. "How are you feeling?"

A smile into his shirt. "Lucky. I'm feeling lucky."

His huff of a laugh caught in her hair. "Not as lucky as I am."

She frowned and looked up at him, but all she could see was his smile as he leant down and kissed her. Warm, moist, and, oh god, he set her body tingling. Her arms tightened around him and she pulled herself up higher, drawing him closer. A hand made it into his hair as his tongue found hers.

Oh god.

His left arm travelled up her side, fingers dancing across her ribcage, wrapping around her back, just behind the swell of her breast. She moaned a little breathlessly into his mouth and their kiss grew in urgency.

They broke off to gasp in air and his kiss multiplied into a trail across her cheek, hot breath on the curve of her ear, a gentle brush of lips over her jaw. "Em, you are so beautiful." Her neck, she arched back giving him access to her throat and he obliged. Her body sung at his touch.

"Scott..." But she lost her trail of thought as he once again returned to her mouth, his tongue slipping between her teeth.

Oh.

Ohhh.

She had a fistful of his gorgeous hair and the ripple of muscle under her other palm as he moved. He was all around her, hot, heavy and hers.

Hers.

She broke off the kiss, trailing a trail of her own across his jaw, her tongue tracing out those gorgeous dimples that so drew her to him. He exhaled her name into her ear.

Drawing back, she caught his eyes. Their blue was glazed over with excitement, his pupils wide and seeking her. She reached up and cupped his jaw with her hand before once again taking his mouth with her own.

This time it was he who moaned, crushing her to him.

And his stomach rumbled loudly.

She couldn't help it, she smiled into his kiss.

He broke off, his own smile lopsided and chagrined. "Sorry about that." As if to prove the point, his stomach rumbled again.

Em giggled.

His smile became a grin.

She grabbed him and kissed him soundly on the nose. "You've just got your priorities in order."

"My priorities?" He grabbed her and kissed her thoroughly, drawing her in once again, sending her mind spinning. Oh wow.

And she was slipping again into that wonderfully passionate haze that contained only his touch and her body.

Oh.

But he pulled back and for a moment she lay there dazed. He smiled down at her. "Hungry?"

A glare and she reached behind her, grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.

-o-o-o-

The house was strangely quiet when Em finally untangled herself from Scott and ventured out towards the kitchen to find his stomach some food. It was somewhat ironic that it was easier for her to get out of bed than him. She had pinned him with a glare and told him to stay put.

"Pen, this could mean the end of International Rescue."

Em startled. Gordon's voice was sudden and came from beyond the kitchen doorway. "Sure, Alan and I can manage Two, but it won't be the same."

"It doesn't have to be the same, Gordon." Penelope's precise and melodious tones flowed over their communication link. Em could just see their reflection in the glass of the open door, Penelope's hologram projected from the table in the middle of the room. Gordon was half slumped in a chair, his whole posture blatant despair so unlike the bright and positive man she had observed since she had first encountered him.

"It's not just that. Virgil is...well, Virgil. How the hell can we do this without him?" He pushed a hand through his already messy hair. "Do we want to do this without Virgil?"

Penelope sighed. "Have you spoken with him at all?"

"No. Kayo has gone all possessive feral. Slammed her door in my face. God forbid she finds me anywhere near him."

"Then I think we should not panic. Scott will, no doubt, speak with your brother. There will be discussion and a solution found."

Gordon let his head drop onto his folded arms on the table. "I so hope so."

Blue eyes appraised him. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

There was a muffled answer Em couldn't quite make out.

"Then eat. Everything is better once one has had sustenance."

Another muttered comment.

"Em, could I ask you to persuade Gordon into eating some breakfast?"

She startled, caught eavesdropping again. Did these people keep hidden mirrors or cameras or monitors around corners as a status quo? She edged herself into the kitchen to be hit by a pair of puzzled russet brown eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to overhear."

The aquanaut sighed and waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "Doesn't matter. Whatever."

Penelope's cool gaze calmly looked her up and down. "How is Scott?"

Em narrowed her eyes just slightly. "He is well."

"Good." She turned back to Gordon. "I must bid you farewell, I have a charity dinner to attend. Eat something healthy and we will speak later." She nodded at Em and the hologram flickered out.

There was silence for a moment. Em hovered over to the sink and poured herself a glass of water. It was cool sliding down her throat.

"Virgil quit."

"So I heard."

"Did you say anything to him?"

She turned around, frowning, but found only a need for understanding in the man's eyes. "No. Virgil and I haven't spoken since yesterday morning. We discussed rehabilitation and timeframes. He seemed eager to get himself back to a good fitness level." It had frustrated her to no end. Sure, a good fitness level was always a good thing, but in this case a good fitness level meant he could go out and risk getting himself killed again.

She didn't want to see him hurt.

The expression on Kayo's face had only agreed with her.

"We need Scott."

She straightened at that. "Scott needs breakfast." It was surprising the man wasn't already down here. Perhaps she had kept him reined in simply by being there. She grabbed a bowl and some cereal.

As if he had heard her, Scott hovered into the kitchen. She glared. "You were supposed to stay in bed."

A shrug. "I couldn't bear to be away from you any longer." And as if to demonstrate he pulled up beside her and curled his arm around her waist. "Morning, Gordon."

"Scott, you have to speak to Virgil."

She felt his shoulders drop beside her. "I know. Food and coffee first." His grip on her tightened just slightly.

That food and coffee was consumed in an oppressive silence, broken only once by footsteps in the hallway and a slammed front door.

-o-o-o-

There had been no sleep.

The ceiling tiles had morphed into a maze of torture, his eyes sketching and re-sketching out shapes made by the holes and the squares, annoying him to no end.

He wanted Kay. He wanted to hold her, to make sure she was alright, to reassure her that he was quitting IR, that he had chosen her.

But he was also scared. International Rescue had been everything for so long. Sure there was plenty of other stuff he could do, but could he watch his brothers go out, leaving him behind?

It hadn't been easy saying those words to Scott, but it was going to be even harder to enact them.

And there was pain, no matter what medication they put him on. He could feel the fog clogging his mind, yet breathing still hurt. Perhaps he should ask for something stronger, something that could finally knock him out and end the pain on all fronts.

By the time the sun peeked over the horizon and lit up the edges of the window, he was ready to take anything to make it all go away.

He was reaching for the call button when there was a knock on his door.

"Yes?" His voice was faint and hoarse and for a moment, he thought he hadn't been heard.

The door opened and Kay stepped into the room.

"Oh god, Kay." And he was reaching for her.

The door closed behind her and she was in his arms. She was real, she was solid, she was kissing him, he was kissing her. He couldn't catch his breath properly and goddamn it hurt, but he didn't care.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He muttered the words between frantic kisses. A small voice at the back of his foggy mind yelled at him that it was the drugs and he was being stupid, but all he could see was Kay.

"Virgil." Her hands landed on his shoulders. "Virgil, it's okay, love. It's okay." She pushed him back against the pillows. She brushed his hair off his forehead, her eyes studying his face, frowning. "It's okay."

He caught her hand in his and held it to his cheek. "Please don't leave." It came out as a breathless plea.

"I'm not going anywhere." She visibly swallowed. "Have you slept at all?"

"Promise?"

"I already have." And she held up her left hand. The diamonds and emeralds sparkled in the fluorescent light. "Have you had any sleep?"

He stared at the ring and it blurred for a moment.

"Virgil?" She shifted, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand drifting into his hair, stroking gently.

God, it felt good. His eyes slid shut. "K..."

"I'll take that as a no."

So good. "Don't go. Please don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere." A feather soft touch of lips to his forehead.

"'K..."

"Go to sleep, Virgil."

Her fingers in his hair, her warmth beside him, so tired...

Her touch tipped his exhaustion into sleep.

With her name still on his lips.

-o-o-o-

She had meant to challenge him. There was anger at him. Anger at Scott. Anger at the world in general. She wanted to argue with him.

But the moment she stepped inside his room, it all faded away at the sight of him. So pale, so sickly. Her strong confident man looked so small and frail against the hospital white and his drug hazed pleas tore her heart.

She rested her hip on the bed, her hand still in his hair as his breathing evened out, still shallow due to his injuries, but reassuringly regular. The bags under his eyes sketched out his exhaustion. Biting her lip, she lay her head beside his, and edged up closer, bringing his crown to rest below her chin.

Oh, Virgil. Her beautiful Virgil.

So strong, so capable, yet so gentle, so sensitive. Her breath hitched, reminding her of how much sleep she herself hadn't had. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of his hair, his familiar fragrance tainted by the hospital.

He had quit International Rescue. No doubt for her.

He was still her idiot. Still making stupid sacrifices for her. Why couldn't he simply look after himself? Why was it always for others? For her, for his brothers, for the entire population of the damn planet. He wasn't careless. He did look after himself. But when the call came, he would go beyond the reasonable, beyond the limits to save another, risking everything in the process. And god forbid if it was her life or her brothers' lives in the balance

She kissed his hair softly.

Love you so much.

So terrified of losing you.

My beautiful Virgil.

Curled up beside him, caught in that thought, she drifted off into much needed sleep.

-o-o-o-

End Part Fifteen.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Sixteen

Author: Gumnut

23 - 26 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2583

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 There has been kicking and screaming in the process of writing this. Many thanks to all who have put up with my incessant whining about this fic. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Scott was sick to death of the hoverchair. To be able to climb out of it and walk anywhere he wanted to, to run, jump and throw himself wherever he chose, god, he couldn't wait.

Of course, as he watched Em 'scoot down the hospital corridor to go talk doctor to other doctors about Virgil, he felt it in his gut knowing that she had no such freedom to look forward to.

Gerald was on security duty again and the man gave him a small smile while holding out the palm scanner. Scott attempted a similar expression in return, but he really didn't feel it.

A swipe of his ident card and Gerald held the door for him.

The blinds were still drawn in his brother's room, but the sun was bright today and it crept around the edges, lighting up the stark space.

Scott came to a complete halt when he found his brother asleep and his sister in a similar state curled up beside him.

His heart lurched.

Virgil was pale despite his sleeping state, dark smudges under his eyes. Kayo held him nestled to her chest protectively even in sleep and he had no doubt that should he wake either of them, the fallout would be unpleasant.

He froze where he was, knowing the smallest noise would likely wake his sister. He was surprised she wasn't already glaring at him.

It gave him a moment to really look at both of them.

To be honest he had been a little wary of the two of them becoming involved with each other. Sure, he had been the one to point it out to his brother, but there had been an element of fear ever since.

However, he had never seen his brother so happy. Despite the anguish and pain of the last few years. Gordon was right. Virgil's medical record was a mess. Amongst the injuries acquired during rescues, the two bullet wounds in his back and the most recent injuries to his side, the man had spent a good chunk of the last three years in recuperation.

And during that recuperation, International Rescue had been down one of its most important assets. Could they function without their brother? Probably. Would they be as effective? No. Scott hated the thought of not having his first brother at his back. It had sucked all during the times he had been ill. It sucked right now. Virgil was more than just another operative. He was the heart of the operation.

While Scott could lead without him, the question was, what would he be leading?

And did he want to lead at all?

But what could he do? Beg his brother to keep risking his life? Ask him to sacrifice his health yet again? Virgil's position on the team was needed more than any other, except perhaps John's. And while John worked hard, Virgil might find himself hanging off a mountain in the morning, ferrying rescuees over lunch and then battling a fire in the afternoon. Sometimes it just didn't stop.

They needed help.

The thought was obvious, but it was an epiphany nonetheless.

He didn't get to examine the thought because at that very moment a nurse burst into the room carrying a jug of water and a cup of pills.

"Good morning, Mr Tracy." The woman stopped in her tracks as Kayo leapt off the bed and placed herself between the nurse and her fiancé. "Oh my."

Kayo blinked, frowned and her eyes darted to Scott, immediately settling into a glare. Stepping back, she eyed the nurse as she approached a dopey, fumbling Virgil.

His brother's voice was little more than a rasp. "What the hell?"

"I am sorry, Mr Tracy. I did not realise you had company, or that you were still sleeping."

Kayo muttered something under her breath and the nurse raised an eyebrow before turning her attention to Virgil. "Mr Tracy, it is time for your medication."

Virgil blinked, obviously foggy from sleep. "Don't want any more pills."

"These will help you breathe easier, Mr Tracy." The nurse poured a plastic cup of water. "Here, take a drink to wash them down."

Scott's heart hurt at the sheer vulnerability in his brother's eyes. The man was obviously exhausted despite whatever sleep he had managed.

Kayo looked ready to rip the nurse's head off.

His brother blinked repeatedly, as if realising he needed to think straight for the situation. Reaching out, he took the cup of pills and downed them one by one, sipping water in turn until all the necessary effort had been done.

Once the pills were gone, the nurse appeared satisfied, and making a note in his electronic file on the wall, left without another word.

Kayo didn't hesitate to move back to Virgil's side and his eyes fixated on her in response.

Scott may as well have not been in the room.

A lesser man could have had his ego dented. Scott just rolled his eyes. "Hey, Virg, how are you feeling?"

A slow blink in his direction. "Scott?"

"Virg?"

His brother pushed himself up in bed and winced.

"Hey, no need to straighten up for me."

"Wasn't. Uncomfortable." Kayo fussed over him for a moment until the engineer settled. "What can I do for you, Scott?"

"Oh, I don't know." Scott shrugged. "Perhaps explain your plans for the future."

Virgil frowned. "Got no plans."

"None at all?"

"Nope."

"No plans to quit International Rescue?"

The silence in the room was sharp and sudden.

His brother obviously wasn't all there at the moment and Scott felt guilty. He had come here to discuss his brother's future. He just hadn't expected the man to be so out of it.

"No plans. Already quit." The rasp was sudden and bleak. Virgil closed his eyes and leant back against the pillows. "God, I'm tired. Scott, can we discuss this later?"

Kayo's glare ripped off three layers of skin. Scott bit his lip. "Okay, Virgil. You get some sleep." He moved back to the door. A glance at his brother found him asleep already. Kayo stood beside him, already ignoring Scott's presence, her expression a touch vulnerable as she looked down at her lover.

Scott swallowed, feeling a chasm open up between himself and his closest brother.

Glancing away from the pair, he exited the room in a hurry.

-o-o-o-

Em stared at Virgil's chart and frowned. "He's not healing as fast as he should be."

"No, he's not." The doctor in charge of Virgil's case was a damn good one. Michaels was known as one of the best cardiopulmonary surgeons in Australasia. "There is no sign of infection, however his strength is flagging. His immune system is depressed and I'm not happy with his thyroid response."

She glared at the numbers. Goddamnit, Virgil, you don't make it easy. "Could it simply be stress?"

"Stress is a normal response to injury."

"But what about chronic stress. What if other factors are at play?"

Michaels frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"

"You've seen his records. The man has had a nasty few years."

"Injuries, yes. But you're implying something else is in the equation. What are you trying to say, Em?"

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Leave it with me. I'll see what I can do."

"Em?"

"Keep me in the loop, I need to speak to someone." She faked a small smile.

Michaels eyed her, but didn't say anything further. She handed him the medical tablet and turned away, heading towards Virgil's room.

The security guard at the door told her Scott had left the room earlier and no one but essential personnel were allowed in.

She couldn't help but agree with that decision.

Hunting for him, she eventually found the man in the hospital cafe, deploying his alluring smile on some poor waitress. Slipping up behind him, she smiled up at the woman.

She was rather smug when the waitress' equally alluring expression immediately sobered. Em idly wondered if Scott was even aware of what he was capable of doing with that smile. Then she rethought that thought and elbowed him.

"Wha-? Hey." And now she was targeted. Oh god, he was good at it. And totally distracting.

His hand found hers.

The waitress' expression had become almost glacial.

Too bad. She added her own drink to the order and the woman wandered off. Scott turned back to the table and she lowered her 'scoot to sit comfortably beneath it.

"We need to talk about Virgil." It was abrupt, but it had to be.

"What's wrong?" His expression immediately concerned.

She held up her hands. "He's healing. He's getting better." She swallowed. "But you have to let him go."

"What?"

"Scott, Virgil isn't healing as fast as he could be. He needs some time, likely some time away from International Rescue."

She brought their hands onto the table, holding his one in her both. "You can't keep International Rescue operating like this. As I've said before, if it doesn't kill Virgil, it is going to kill you or another of your brothers. It is too much work, too much stress, too much risk." She held onto his hand as tightly as she dared, pleading with him to not let go.

"I know."

His quiet response was so opposite of what she expected, she found herself speechless.

"We need help."

She swallowed. "Yes. Yes, you do."

"But how?"

That she didn't know. She simply squeezed his hand. He was staring at the table top and his expression hurt. "This isn't a failure, Scott. It is a just a change. I have no doubt your father would be the proudest man on the planet right now."

Two blue eyes grabbed hers, fire burning deep inside. But then the flame flickered and died and he returned to staring at the patterned tablecloth.

The waitress turned up and literally dumped their drinks in front of them. Em's chocolate milk spilt, the handling was so rough. Em glared at the woman, but was ignored. She grabbed a serviette to mop up the mess with one hand.

She kept the other gripped firmly around Scott's fingers. "Perhaps the GDF-"

"Are useless." His tone was desolate.

Grabbing at straws. "Well, make them less useless. Train them. Put some extra resources in place. International Rescue is the leader in its field. Teach. Share the knowledge."

Blue eyes were staring at her. "The technology. We cannot share the technology...scum like the Hood-"

"He's dead, Scott. Don't let the world suffer any more for that asshole." She straightened in her harness as his shocked stare tried to pin her down. "Fine. Keep the technology. Share the bare minimum, if you can, but the best resource International Rescue has is its people and its experience. Share that. Train some special squadrons or whatever they call their task groups. You have to have some contacts in the GDF. You'd have to liaise with them all the time. Speak to them. Arrange something." Another squeeze of his hand. "Save both the world and your family."

He retreated, pulling his hand back into his personal space.

She let him go.

"Think about it, Scott. Either way, I'm recommending Virgil takes an extended leave of absence. He needs time to recover. And to be honest I would like Kayo to go with him."

His eyes widened.

"Surely International Rescue has a minimal functional level?"

His mute nod was all the answer she needed.

"Shut it down to minimum for six months. Take the time to remodel the system and start up some GDF links."

He was still staring.

"Maybe you should only respond to the more dire of emergencies."

"People will die."

"People always die. You can't save them all." It was harsh, but she had to be. "You know that. I know that. Take the time to put structures in place to ensure less people die in the future." His eyes were swallowing her whole. "Especially the Tracy family."

"Your opinion has been noted."

It was bleak and cold and her heart sank. "I'm sorry, Scott."

"So am I." He stared at his coffee for a moment before straightening up. "Please excuse me." He manoeuvred his 'chair around the table. His eyes caught hers for a moment and she saw something akin to fear in their depths. She drew in a breath, but then he was turning away and heading out of the cafe.

"Well, that didn't go very well, did it."

Em startled and stared up at the waitress. The woman's smug expression set her blood boiling. A swift movement with her arm and her glass tipped, chocolate milk splashing everywhere, including all over the waitress.

"Oh, I am so sorry."

"Save it."

"Sure." But her heart wasn't in it. A flick of her palm controls, she paid for the drinks neither of them drank, and she left the cafe in an echo of Scott's trajectory.

As expected, he was long gone.

-o-o-o-

She didn't see him after that. She saw his brothers, his sister, his grandmother and the Commander of International Rescue, but Scott she didn't see.

The corridors of the white house on the hill became stark and lifeless. Kayo cornered her at one point, but she knew the woman had enough on her plate already and Em wasn't really up to talking about it.

She could understand. She had offered him the truth and sometimes the truth was the hardest thing to hear. Her presence was likely a reminder of that.

That and she was an outsider.

It hurt. She had to admit it. A brief flicker of a flame of a possible relationship and just as suddenly it was gone.

Virgil continued to improve slowly and by the end of the week he was able to be released to the white house up on the hill. She kept her promise and made sure he had everything he could possibly need to recover fully. She sat both Kayo and Virgil down and explained the time he would need to take. He wasn't happy about it, but then no one in the house seemed happy at all anyway.

Gordon left for the island only to return the polar opposite of his usual demeanour. Alan dropped in occasionally and he always had a smile for her, but it was a dull, lifeless one. The only person who didn't appear to be affected was John and that was only for two reasons - the first being she only ever heard his voice with the occasional hologram since he was far above on Thunderbird Five and the second was she suspected the man had shields of steel, ever calm and collected in the face of the hell he had to deal with on a daily basis.

Once Virgil was settled and on the mend, she became redundant, and to be honest, she couldn't bear the sight of the Commander's blank eyes anymore.

If she cried about it, she cried alone. She was used to being alone. She could handle it.

If she had one last hope that he would dash into Wellington Airport at the last minute and scoop her into his arms and steal her away, she kept that to herself as well.

Just as well, because he didn't.

So as Wellington grew small behind her as the plane headed west, Em erected her shields again.

She had her life waiting for her a continent away.

-o-o-o-

End Part Sixteen


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Seventeen

Author: Gumnut

27 Feb 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 5441

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 I literally wrote all day today. Over 5000 words in one day, bringing to total of this fic to over 50,000 words. I'm kinda chuffed at that :D We're nearing the end of this mammoth undertaking (for me anyway), so get ready to hold onto your hats. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Life settled down for Em. Time moved on.

She returned to the house in Margaret River and put herself back together. She cut herself off from the rest of the world and gave herself some time simply to recuperate. It had been easy to forget amongst all the drama of Virgil's illness that she had suffered a loss of her own. Arriving on her own doorstep had finally enabled her to start processing the state of her own mind and body.

There were advantages to losing her legs. At least now gardening was a little easier. She threw herself into it, tackling the long-neglected cottage garden her mother had so adored. Em hadn't been able to tackle it hampered by the hoverchair of her previous injury, but the 'scoot gave her so much more flexibility and she took as much advantage of it as possible and got her hands thoroughly dirty.

When she wasn't in the garden, she could be found sketching in her diary. She was more of a doodler than anything else, but it was relaxing and that was her aim.

If those doodles turned into a pair of eyes more often than not, it was just part of the process. Words were written in that diary also. Angry words. Sad words. Words of healing.

She let herself go for a month. She could afford it. She wasn't rich like the Tracys, but with her inheritance from her parents, her business, and the royalties from her father's books, she had enough to keep her going.

But the Drive eventually drove her back. She called it the Drive simply because that is what it did. An unavoidable need to move forward and achieve. She needed to do something. By the end of that month the Drive was literally kicking her out of her own house.

Time to return. Time to start living again.

Time to reconnect with the world.

-o-o-o-

Virgil and Kayo went to the lighthouse.

On the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, it was a place full of memories. It was also a place full of stairs, something Kayo had been rather pointed about when they were deciding where to go. As a compromise, Virgil bought another hoverchair since Scott was still waltzing around in Thunderbird imPatient. He didn't give this one a name, considering it little more than an interloper. It was used minimally. As his strength slowly returned, Virgil used those stairs as part of his rehab, going up and down them several times a day.

Kayo glared at him when needed.

A good percentage of their time was spent simply being together. Lying in bed talking, dozing, reconnecting on a level the day to day of International Rescue often denied.

Virgil found the time to just sit and breathe. Ironic since it was something that had so recently been denied him. Sitting on the balcony far above the cliff and ocean below, he could close his eyes and just feel the planet around him.

They also took the car out retracing their trips from the past. There was no Lamborghini this time, just a BMW sedan. Though in deference to Virgil it was a deep forest green.

John checked up on them daily like clockwork. Alan and Gordon actually dropped in a couple of times.

Scott, they didn't hear a word from.

Virgil worried about his brother.

John said he was fine.

Gordon said Scott was an idiot.

Alan told him not to worry.

Kayo begged him to calm down.

Protect the invalid. Virgil stewed on top of the worry.

He tried contacting his brother. John wouldn't let him.

"Virgil, Scott is fine. Don't worry about him."

"Why hasn't he called?"

"He's busy."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not."

"What about Em?"

"What about her?"

"Where is she?"

"She went home."

"I know she went home, John. Stop placating me. It isn't working. What the hell is going on?"

His brother's hologram kept a straight face and Virgil's shoulder muscles bunched up.

And his ribs complained.

For crying out loud!

"I'll speak to him. Get him to call you."

"Why the hell can't I call him?"

"He's busy."

"John!"

"Calm down, Virgil, you are supposed to be relaxing."

"Shove it, John."

"Well, if you are going to be like that..."

"Damn it! This isn't right!"

"Of course, it isn't right." And there it was, just under the surface of his stoic brother's expression. Something was wrong.

"John?"

"I'm sorry, Virgil. I'm under orders."

"Orders?"

"From the Commander of International Rescue."

Virgil stared.

"You need to rest, Virgil. Please leave it be." But John's expression said otherwise. The Space Monitor was obeying orders, but the brother was pleading for help.

Virgil and Kayo flew out of New Zealand later that day.

-o-o-o-

Scott Tracy was a man of decision. And once that decision was made, he became a man of action.

International Rescue could no longer function as it was. His father's dream was dying at the risk of his family doing the same. Em was right, it was time for change.

He bundled his brother and sister off to a safe place to recover and ordered John to keep an eye on them.

He brought IR to an almost halt, only John was deployed full time and his job was to direct other emergency services to any and every situation that came up, bar the worst.

Scott spent the remainder of his convalescence liaising with his godmother.

Their relationship with the GDF Colonel had been touchy since the incident that saw the death of the Hood. He suspected his godmother was suspicious about that death and who had killed the bastard. Scott hadn't admitted anything and had no plans to do so.

But he needed the GDF. More importantly they needed him.

Casey was as hard as nails, but he was harder. Plans were laid out. An initial seven response teams, trained by International Rescue, one for each major region of the planet. Each team echoed the skillset of the original International Rescue crew, but doubled the number. Scott created curricula, conduct philosophies, mission statements, negotiated technologies and argued with Val Casey and her superiors until the early hours of the morning.

Tracy money was deployed.

By the time he started rehab, the groundwork was in place.

"Slow down, Scott. It doesn't all have to happen overnight."

"The longer this takes, the more people we lose." He didn't look at his brother's hologram.

"You still have your recovery to consider."

"I'm fine."

"You are not fine."

"I'll live." He didn't have to look at John to feel his frown.

"Virgil is still asking after you."

"Let him ask."

"He has a right to know."

"He lost that right the moment he quit." And yes, it hurt, no matter the illogic.

John sighed. "Give him a break, Scott. The man nearly died."

"I noticed."

"Then why are you being an ass?"

"Shut up, John."

The resultant silence finally had him looking up, but John was gone.

-o-o-o-

Gordon was having flashbacks to his WASP days. The fourteen aquanauts assigned to him for training were elite. A couple of them even made Gordon feel a little inadequate, though none of them had an Olympic gold medal to their name. At least he had that up his sleeve. Three men and eleven women made up his team and they all kicked ass.

It was quite refreshing to speak aquanaut and be regularly understood.

And he had to admit, he was learning a few new things himself.

Fourteen specialist submersible craft were slated for construction. None of them were quite at the level of Thunderbird Four, several key technologies had to be kept under wraps for safety's sake, but they were all nice little vehicles above and beyond the GDF's current equipment.

Tracy Industries was to build the machines and lease them on reasonable terms to the GDF, but they ultimately still belonged to the Tracy family.

Gordon had to give his eldest brother credit. Only a month after he had broached the subject with the family and convinced everyone to agreement, the Commander had the skeleton of the new IR Network up and training had begun.

Apparently becoming a Thunderchick was a sign of prestige.

He snorted at the name. That hadn't taken long to evolve. Whether the support craft were to be called Thunderbirds or not, remained to be seen. Probably not, but the spirit was there at least.

John had come down from Thunderbird Five to partially train his fourteen communications and space specialists. There was no replacement for Thunderbird Five, but with Penelope's assistance, combined with a GDF network upgrade, the plan was to have a small team to man TB5.

His middle brother was hesitant, physical people were not his thing any more than space was Gordon's thing, but Scott had given him complete control. Psychology was a large part of space exploration in any case. John was able to pick and choose those personalities to his heart's content.

Gordon had to clamp his mouth firmly shut when the first candidate turned out to be Ridley O'Bannon. He'd nearly blown a blood vessel keeping the laughter and comments contained.

Well, whatever kept his reclusive brother comfortable.

In more ways than one.

Alan was having the time of his life surrounded by astronaut space jocks, several of which were considerably older than him. Tracy Industries was supplying small rescue spacecraft for that part of the deployment, none as big or as strong as Thunderbird Three. Ultimately all the Thunderchicks were to take on the situations they were capable of...and Scott was preparing them to be capable of a great deal. This left the Thunderbirds to be used when their full capability was needed. This would cut down the callouts and the stress on the current system, and create a team to be called on when the disaster was so big, no one team could manage it by themselves.

Gordon would no longer have to worry about being trapped beneath the ocean with no other brother able to reach him. He was training others not only to save civilians, but to protect each other.

Scott, of course, had taken on the team leaders. Gordon was quite glad to keep his nose out of that little get together. Scott's temper had been caustic through the entirety of this exercise. It was as if the anger was driving him.

But Gordon knew it was more than that.

Virgil's absence was like a gaping wound. They all felt it. Even Grandma was a little lost. Brains muttered regularly about the absence of his fellow engineer, and Alan's wistful musings for his second biggest brother rarely went unnoticed.

Scott was flailing without his support.

Sure, he was a man driven. He was accomplishing amazing things. But he wasn't sleeping and he sat at his father's desk into the early hours of the morning, a pale lonely figure in the darkness.

Gordon had attempted to step in where he knew Virgil would have, but Scott had ignored him. Not even acknowledging him at times.

John had been forbidden to relay anything to Virgil or Kayo. Gordon personally thought this was childish, and he knew childish.

He had even tried to contact Em at one point, but she appeared to have gone incommunicado as well.

What the hell had happened between those two anyway? One minute they were all lovey-dovey, the next she's jumping on a plane and Scott didn't even notice. He hadn't even mentioned her name since.

The only person who knew how Scott Tracy could be unravelled was Virgil. And Virgil wasn't here.

Until he was.

-o-o-o-

His boots hit the tarmac with a reassuring thud.

And as a bonus, his ribcage didn't complain about it.

The sea air blowing through the still open hangar door was so familiar it hurt. Walking out onto the runway increase the wind blowing through his hair. He couldn't remember having been away from Tracy Island for so long, ever. It had become home. More than the ranch in Kansas, more than anywhere else. It was home.

He took a deep breath and revelled in it.

There was a twinge, but he chose to ignore it. He was better than he had been, and he was getting better every day. He was going to conquer it eventually.

Kayo had flown them home. She had had her own words with John. Strong words. Virgil felt he needed to apologise to his younger brother. The poor man had gotten so much crap over this, it wasn't fair.

Since his brother wouldn't tell them anything, Kayo had delved into her network. And she had a good one. Within minutes they knew about the IR Network, the Thunderchicks, and the rampaging changes his brother was enacting.

What it couldn't tell them was the health of their brother, mentally or physically. They did find one report where he had torn the head off one of their recruits. The recruit had paid him back in like a moment later. Apparently, that woman was now at the top of her class.

Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

They had picked up Tracy Three where they had left her at the local airfield and flown home.

And god, it was good to be home.

The seagulls perched on the cliff above the runway yelled down at them. Virgil couldn't help but smile.

And, of course, sitting silently behind him was his beautiful 'bird.

He didn't look at her. To look hurt.

So, he stood staring out at the ocean, waiting for Kay to finish post-flight.

"Hey, bro!" And Gordon was leaping out of the elevator and jogging towards him. Before he could reply, the aquanaut had him in an embrace that threatened to break those newly healed ribs.

"Gordon, hey, ow."

"Oh shit." The younger man dropped him. "Sorry! You okay?"

Virgil grinned and wrapped his brother in a much gentler hug. "Great to see you, bro."

Gordon responded much more tentatively. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Gordo, and getter even better by the day." His smile returned and he truly felt it. He held Gordon at arm's length. "God, it is good to see you. Missed you."

His younger brother took that opening for what it was and smirked. "What, Tin not keeping you enough company?"

His answer was a swat up the back of his head as Kay came up behind him. "Wouldn't you like to know."

As Virgil laughed, Gordon rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, no, not really. Details not required."

She leant over and put an arm around her brother, whispering in his ear. Gordon turned bright red and Virgil's eyes widened. "What?"

Kay looked back at him and smiled that smile. Oh god. "Kay..."

"Not to worry, love. Gordon's not going to tell anyone, are you?"

His brother shook his head slowly, a rather stunned expression on his face.

What the hell did she tell his brother?

Did he want to know?

Ugh.

The wind kicked up and messed with his hair, his familiar red shirt hanging open and flapping in the breeze. "So where is everyone else?"

"Grandma's upstairs waiting for you. Brains is in Kansas overseeing design work for Tracy Industries. Alan is at Cape Canaveral. John is with him."

"John's down here?" Virgil frowned.

"Has been all week. Been bitching about it the entire time, too. Thank god for Ridley."

"Ridley? Who's Ridley?"

Gordon smirked. "That one takes a little explanation that should probably come from John."

"O-kay." Now the big question. "What about Scott?"

Gordon sobered immediately. "Grumpy ass is upstairs. I warn you, it bites."

Virgil straightened at that. A hand landed on his arm and he was looking at Kay. The green of her eyes punctuated her expression. She wanted him to stay calm. She had told him repeatedly on the flight over. Stress was not good for his recovery.

A grim smile. "Don't worry, I'm an experienced chew toy."

Gordon's eyes bugged out and he burst out laughing.

Virgil frowned, realised exactly what he had said and felt the heat rise up his neck.

Kay just smiled, turned to Gordon and said, "I told you so."

His younger brother started to choke and Kay laughed out loud.

Virgil couldn't help it, he grinned despite himself.

God, it was good to be home.

-o-o-o-

They headed to their rooms first before tackling the Commander. Gordon grabbed Grandma and there were some heartfelt hugs in the hallway. Grandma even had tears in her eyes. Virgil would readily admit that he hugged the woman somewhat tighter than normal. He had so missed his family.

Particularly Scott.

He vaguely remembered asking his brother to discuss the issue of his resignation at a later time, yet neither of them had followed up on that. Scott had virtually disappeared in Wellington, flying out for days at a time and when he had been at the white house, he hadn't spoken, his expression closed.

Virgil had to watch while his brother systematically shut himself away. Virgil had tried to approach him, but he had been shouldered off, told he was ill and needed to rest. Unfortunately, that had been true. He hadn't the stamina to take on Scott Tracy. The man was hard work.

Kay had attempted to help Em, but she had backed away as well. Something that had been so beautiful had simply fallen apart in front of them. Em returned to Perth. Scott returned to Tracy Island. He hadn't seen either since.

He couldn't help but feel it was at least partly his fault.

He left Grandma and Kay talking with no doubt in his mind that eventually they would follow him, but taking the opportunity for what it was anyway. He headed down to the comms room to find his brother.

Scott wasn't hard to find. Virgil could hear him in the elevator.

"I don't care, Stephens. The prototype needs to be ready by Monday for testing."

"Mr Tracy, the suppliers have failed to deliver. We cannot build the craft out of thin air. I'm telling you we will be unable to meet the Monday deadline and unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it."

"Goddamnit, Stephens-"

"Sir! With all due respect, when was the last time you slept?"

His brother slammed his fist down on the desktop and killed the connection just as Virgil stepped into the room.

"Interesting take on staff relations." He said it quietly, but his brother's head shot up immediately.

"Virgil!"

"Hey, Scott." He attempted a small smile.

His brother stood up and Virgil grinned at the movement. "So good to see you on your feet, finally." He hurried over, genuine happiness as his brother reached his full height and stepped around the desk towards him. He had never been so glad to look up at the man.

"Good to see you on yours."

Virgil grabbed his big brother and hugged him, for a moment, so caught up in seeing him standing there, all other thoughts fled. The arms that wrapped around his back only intensified it all.

"Great to see you, Virg."

"Likewise, bro."

But then the moment passed and reality stepped in, forcing them to separate. A wariness loomed between them.

"So, what's up with Stephens?" Stephens was the CEO of one of their manufacturing plants in Texas. The man had known the family for years, had watched the boys grow up, in fact. He was an extremely experienced and loyal employee.

One who didn't deserve to be yelled at.

"Thunderchick One Alpha was supposed to be ready for a Monday demo, but she's not going to make it."

"Thunderchick?" Virgil couldn't help but smirk. "Who came up with that?"

"I have no idea, but apparently it has stuck." He shrugged. "It works." Scott eyed him a moment. "Dare I presume you know about the IR Network?"

Virgil gave him a flat stare. "I'm engaged to your security officer. What do you think?"

And there it was. That one word. 'Your'. Not 'our'. Scott's expression dropped in temperature. "I will have to remember that."

Virgil narrowed his eyes. "Remember what?"

But his brother didn't answer, turning back to the desk. "Great to have you back on the Island, Virg. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some work to do."

So that was it, was it?

"I don't think so."

"What?" Scott sighed. "What do you want?"

"I want you to talk to me. Like I have been begging you to, for the past month."

"You were supposed to be resting. You are still supposed to be resting."

"I'm fine."

"That's exactly what you said right before you died! Excuse me if I don't believe you."

Okay, so he probably deserved that. "I'm sorry. I will be more careful in the future, I promise."

"You damn well better."

"I didn't know I was that ill!"

"Well, you were and we nearly lost you! Do you have any idea how that felt?"

"You know what, I know exactly how that felt! It's not like you haven't nearly died on me in the past."

"Not as many times as you have!"

"Really? Are we in competition here?"

"Apparently you are going for the damn championship."

"I never intended to hurt you!"

"Well, you did, Virgil, and then you damn well quit on me."

It hit home, but he had had the same argument with himself over the last month so it was old fodder. "I had to." He swallowed. "I can't ask you to watch anymore."

Scott stared at him. "What?"

"You said it yourself. It hurts to watch. I can't ask Kay or you to go through that again. And I certainly have no wish to either."

"So you quit."

"Yes, I did."

"Without discussion or compromise."

"What can be said? What compromise is there?"

"You don't know because you've never considered it."

"I have considered it."

"Well, while you were thinking about it, I've built it."

Virgil swallowed his retort. "What do you mean?"

And there was fire in his brother's eyes. "Seven teams of ten, new equipment, joint co-ordination between International Rescue and the GDF, with ultimate command decisions from IR. We're expanding, Virg. You won't have to be at every rescue anymore." Scott activated the holographic interface. Blueprints and personnel files filled the air above the woodwork.

"I didn't think I would be at any rescue anymore." But he moved closer to the desk where a hologram of Thunderchick Two Alpha rotated slowly. Smaller than his 'bird, she had a nested underbelly rather than a full-sized module to carry, just big enough to hold Thunderchick Four Alpha rotating quietly beside her. "How did Brains come up with these designs so quickly?"

"He didn't. He's been planning this kind of deployment for years."

"Really?" But when he thought about it, there had been late night speculations with his fellow engineer and now looking at the spinning hologram he could see where his ideas had been incorporated. "Well, I'll be damned." It came out wrapped in some wonder for the genius who shared the island with them.

"We always end up underestimating him."

"Apparently so." He straightened. "Looks great. Best of luck with the venture."

"Virg, c'mon."

"What?"

"You know I can't do this without you."

"You could have fooled me. You've been doing plenty fine without me. In fact, you have refused to even speak to me." He took a step towards his brother. "Why?"

Scott's expression hardened. "You quit."

"International Rescue, yes, not our family. Somehow you seem to think they are one and the same. But apparently now you need my help so I'm okay to talk to now."

"I will always need your help!" A deep breath. "I wasn't the one who walked away."

Virgil blinked. "Again, you could have fooled me."

"Goddamnit, Virg."

"What the hell do you want from me, Scott? I have done everything everyone has asked of me since the damned accident and yet I'm still getting yelled at."

"Who asked you to quit?" Blue pierced him.

Virgil's lips thinned.

"Did Kayo ask you to quit?" Scott's arm shot out, gesturing to the rest of the house.

"No. Not that it is any of your business."

"Of course, it is my business! You are often too damn accommodating to everyone. It is one of the reasons you nearly got yourself dead."

"What?!"

"You put everyone else before you, Virg. And it damned near killed you."

"So now I work too hard at doing as I am told?" He scoffed. "Scott, half the reason you are still alive is because I didn't do as I was told."

"That is not what I mean and you know it!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"You need to realise just how important you are!"

"To International Rescue?"

"No, to me!"

Virgil drew in a breath and swallowed his instinctive reaction. "Scott, I am aware of how important you are to me and vice versa. What I want to know is why you've been ignoring me these past weeks."

Scott turned and sunk his boot into the side of his father's desk.

Virgil jumped. "Perhaps we should continue this discussion in the gym."

His brother eyed him. "There is no way in hell you are sparring with anyone."

"Then perhaps you should spar with me." Kay entered the room wearing a simple high cut t-shirt and shorts. The emerald in her navel caught the light as she moved. Her feet were bare.

"I don't have a death wish."

She snorted. "Hasn't stopped you before. Besides, I haven't had a good spar for a few weeks now." Kay caught Virgil's eyes in apology.

Scott looked down at the desk, fiddling with the holograms. "Kayo, not now, I-"

She walked up to him and grabbed his arm, bending it backwards.

He swore, twisting out of her grip, reflexes automatically attempting to throw her.

She resisted and suddenly both his fiancé and his brother were in an all-out fight.

Shit!

Virgil stepped back out of the way as the two of them moved closer to the balcony and the open space available there. Fists hit flesh and feet hit hardwood. Scott was dressed in his usual clothes, shoes included. Kay wore little at all. She seemed so small next to his brother, but Virgil knew they weren't an even match. Kay could take any of the brothers on their best day, much less Scott still undergoing rehab.

He had to trust her not to injure his brother.

Scott's stance grew more aggressive as the fight moved on. Kay countered his every strike and it frustrated the man to no end. A grunt, a yell followed by a curse, he managed to flip Kay over his shoulder, but she bounced back as if it was nothing.

"Kayo-"

"You think I'm stealing your brother, don't you?"

"What?!" The word was flung from both Scott and Virgil. He stared at his lover as she moved in to tackle his brother again, taking advantage of his distraction.

"You think I made him leave International Rescue."

"Kay!"

"Kayo, I don't know what the hell you are playing at-"

"Well, I did." And with that she flipped Scott over her shoulder and he crashed to the floor. Virgil's heart missed a beat, but his brother glared up at her. She didn't stop. "He's mine. I got sick of losing pieces of him to other people." She snarled the words. "All he does is try to help others and what does he get for it? Injury after injury. He died." And green eyes were looking up at him, undefined emotion in their depths. "And it hurt. It hurt me. It hurt you. It hurt all of us. And we screwed up. Tried to protect him from himself. But we can't do that. He is who he is. I realised that over a month ago. You, Scott, you haven't worked it out yet. Stop shutting him out. He goddamn loves you and you've been hurting him for weeks now." She was panting, her fighting stance still in place despite the fact Scott hadn't left the floor where she threw him. "I could never replace you, Scott, and I would never want to. Trust me, there is room enough in his heart for both of us."

A flash of tortured green eyes and she turned and strode from the room. Virgil stared after her a moment before making to follow.

"Virg!"

"Not now, Scott."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

He hurried after Kay.

-o-o-o-

Where the hell had that come from?

She didn't go far, just into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

A matter of seconds and Virgil was behind her, his hands hovering as if afraid to touch her.

"Kay?"

"I'm sorry, Virgil. I owe you an apology."

"What?" His tone was one of exasperated confusion. "What the hell, Kay?"

"I didn't do it on purpose. I guess...I was just scared. You scared me."

"I scared me." His hands settled on her shoulders, drawing her close. A kiss in her hair. "Love, I don't do what I don't want to do."

"I treated you unfairly."

"I'm an adult. I make my own decisions."

She turned around into his arms. "Really? Would you have left International Rescue if I hadn't been so upset?"

He stared at her.

And she saw the dots connect and the realisation in his eyes. "Kay?"

"I love you." She reached up and kissed him, drawing him down to her, wrapping herself around him. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." His breathless voice, despite the love behind it, chilled her. Too many echoes of recent events. He must have sensed something because he cleared his throat. "But I reserve the right to make my decision regardless."

Her hands grabbed his shoulders. "Don't sacrifice yourself for me, Virgil."

"I believe that is my choice, too."

"Virgil-"

He held her shoulders and caught her eyes with his own. "Trust me, Kay, please."

She stared up at him, soft brown sketched out her reflection in his irises.

How could she anything but?

-o-o-o-

The air mostly cleared after that. Virgil considered asking his fiancé to kick his brother's butt on a regular basis - it might prevent a pile of problems in the future. Scott's mood improved somewhat and Virgil slipped into the project alongside him. Whether he was part of International Rescue or not remained a question unanswered. He just did what he needed to do. If his brothers reacted as if he had never left, he had no say in it. Of course, both Scott and Virgil still had rehab to consider and there was much in the way of complaints about that, from both eldest brothers and Gordon who, as always, had the wonderful job of kicking their asses into doing the exercises.

Virgil found himself in the pool more often than not, breathing being the main focus of his recovery. The water softened the exercise and Kay made sure he treated the gym with respect. Scott often joined him in the pool for similar reasons and the two brothers managed to spend enough time together to heal over the last few months.

Only one question still stood between them.

Em.

"Scott, you can't let her go." Virgil sat on the side of the pool, breathing heavily. He still had moments like this and it annoyed him to no end.

"She's already gone, Virg."

"Scott, you let her go. Go and get her back."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is!"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't sound it."

"Shut up and give me a minute."

Controlled breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Slowly he self-regulated.

Damn injury. So sick of it.

"Scott, c'mon, you two were great together. She could kick your ass better than I ever could."

"Hah! So that's the reason. You want re-enforcements."

Virgil levelled his gaze down at his brother in the pool. "Really, Scott? Have you forgotten who I'm marrying? I have no need of re-enforcements. Kay can kick your ass any day of the week." He sighed just a little. "You were just so happy. I've never seen you like that with anyone else."

"She..." And his brother drifted off, his face full of thought.

Virgil's voice was soft. "Go after her, Scott."

"I-"

"Scott!" Gordon dashed out onto the balcony and shouted down at them. "We have a situation. In Perth. Scott, it's Em!"

-o-o-o-

End Part Seventeen.


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Eighteen

Author: Gumnut

28 Feb – 1 Mar 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 3119

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 Oh, this was fun to write. It may be called a trope, but I don't care, it was fun :D Nutty got to blow something up, mwhahahahaha! I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

She eased herself slowly back into her life. She worked through a list of shocked friends, the necessary sympathy regarding her latest injury, questions about where she had been, how she was and what she was going to do next.

There were catch up lunches, new clients and Uncle Crispin.

He cornered her as soon as he could, which considering the state of the Siberian gas fields, wasn't anywhere as soon as he would have preferred. He finally made it to her house two weeks after her month of seclusion.

The fact he actually visited the house was an indication of how worried he was. He hated the place, given all the memories of the family he had lost echoing through the hallways. His relationship with her deceased grandparents probably didn't help either.

He hugged her the moment he saw her.

"How are you, honey?" He was the only person she would allow to call her 'honey'.

"I'm getting there." She smiled.

"What about the Tracy boy?" Sure enough, straight to the point.

"What about him?"

"You seemed pretty set on him at Christmas."

"Yeah, well, that was Christmas and a lot has happened since."

"Sally says Virgil is doing well."

It took her a moment to connect the dots. Sally was Grandma Tracy. "As long as he gives himself the time to recover, he should be fine. It was close." She shifted in her 'scoot. "So, what's the deal with you and...Sally?"

She couldn't help but grin at the shy smile that spread over his face. That was the thing about Uncle Crispin. He was all tough adventurer on the outside, tough as nails, but on the inside, he was really just a soft, goofball.

Life had been as hard on him as it had been on her and his demeanour reflected that.

Sally had obviously wormed her way under his leathery defence system.

"She and I...Em, she makes me happy." He grinned. "And I like to think I make her happy too. I can't really ask for more than that."

That sparked off a little self-reflection. "No, that's exactly how it should be."

Her uncle frowned. "Do I need to go park some dynamite under his ass?"

"You and your bloody dynamite." An exasperated sigh. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

"Sally says he's pretty messed up."

She blinked. "What?"

"Some big effort to decentralise International Rescue, expand the service somewhat and take the strain off the Tracy family. He's not sleeping and not talking. She's worried about him."

A stare. "He took my advice?"

"Your advice? No idea. But the man is obsessed. Sally reckons you should check on him."

"She does, does she?" She eyed her uncle. "What do you think?"

"Em, I'm with you. Whatever makes you happy."

Whatever makes her happy? She had a list, but only a few of those listed things were entirely in her power, so she would focus on those.

"I'm going to give it time." The words were said quietly and slowly.

His hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed.

Uncle Crispin inevitably couldn't stay long. It was a reminder of how close his job was to that of International Rescue as he was called out to Siberia yet again. She missed him, but it was necessary. Besides, she had her own life to get back to.

She closed up the house in Margaret River, moved back to Perth and back to work.

It was a lunch date with a colleague that saw her on the pedestrian bridge right at the moment it exploded.

-o-o-o-

Scott hit the comms room at a run. "Report!"

John's hologram was in the centre of the room. He had only returned to TB5 three days earlier after an extended training session with his extremely small team. Gordon had snorted loudly when Scott commented on the personnel involved. He must remember to ask him about that.

"There has been an explosion on a pedestrian bridge across the Swan River. Em is on the bridge."

"Explosion? How do you know that Em is involved?" He felt like grabbing his brother and shaking him.

"Kayo, put a tracker in her hoverscoot."

"What?!" This came from both himself and Virgil behind him.

"Regardless, the bridge has been destabilised at one end. We're needed."

Scott didn't hesitate, heading towards his chute. Virgil didn't either and that was enough to bring him to a halt. "Virgil!"

"You're going, I'm going." And he didn't stop moving.

Damnit! "John, get Alan and Gordon to Thunderbird Two."

"Already on their way."

He yanked the fake light fittings down just that bit harder than usual just as Virgil tipped up backwards on his painting and disappeared.

Fear churned in his gut.

Em.

-o-o-o-

Virgil's chute, by the nature of its design was rough on his body. It had been at least a couple of months since he'd flown down it, so along with the adrenalin that always accompanied the ride there was a pleasant sense of accomplishment when it didn't actually hurt.

His feet hit his 'bird's deck with a reassuring thump and no pain ricocheted anywhere. His heart was thudding and his breathing had spiked, but that could be considered normal.

Slipping into his seat, he automatically started pre-flight, the sequence so familiar, he didn't even have to think.

The selector trundled out the modules and TB2 settled on the familiar Four. Moments later he heard Alan and Gordon rise up into the cockpit.

Kay sat down beside him in the co-pilot's seat. What?

"Before you say anything, my presence is non-negotiable."

Her eyes pinned him. "Okay."

And his attention was taken with the launch. Thunderbird Two rolled out of her hanger and he opened the runway to let her through. Her familiar rumble vibrated through his bones, the adrenalin still pumping, his heart-rate matched her thrum.

Loaded onto her ramp, he pointed her towards the sky.

The clunk of external machinery.

An indrawn breath.

He fired her thrusters and she leapt off the platform, clawing her way into the blue.

-o-o-o-

There was a flash of light and a wall of sound hit her.

Her 'scoot slid sideways and the people around her screamed as the bridge beneath her suddenly tilted sideways towards the water below.

At the far end of the metal and concrete structure a cloud of smoke was rising into the air.

Dust and debris rained down around her. Time froze in shock.

It started again as a woman to her right suddenly went down with a scream, clutching her arm. More screams erupted as the walkway wobbled again.

The only escape route was the other end of the bridge.

"Move! Move!" And she was grabbing people and pushing them in the direction of land. Em lowered herself to the woman who had fallen. There was blood pouring down the sleeve of her dress and she was terrified, but there wasn't time to do anything about it. She got her to her feet and hurried her across the paving. "Run!"

The bridge shook again and there was an almighty screech of stressed metal as one of the spans arching over the structure broke off at its base. The sharp ping of support wires snapping and the massive arm of steel pendulumed, swinging down and along the edge of the walkway. The concrete groaned and cracked under her 'scoot.

"Move!"

They ran.

It was a busy bridge in the middle of the day, even more so because a local market had been set up along the length of it. There would have been at least a hundred people walking across or browsing the stalls. As the walkway tilted further, craft items and marquees began to slide across the paving. Em used her 'scoot to her advantage. It had grip where feet may not have had and her arms were strong.

She sped up, darting to grab a child falling towards the railing. She hustled people along, supporting them if they fell. As a whole the crowd moved at a frantic pace down the length of the bridge.

Until the other end of the bridge exploded.

She couldn't help it, she screamed.

The whole structure shuddered and a large portion holding many of those fleeing people collapsed into the river below.

"No!"

She struggled to keep her 'scoot steady as the walkway shuddered and tilted even further. She looked behind her. Both ends of the bridge had been destroyed. There was no way off the structure.

A man not far from her slipped and fell, the tilt of the bridge saw him slide all the way to the railing. He screamed as his foot caught in the grill and twisted, taking his weight.

Her hoverjets whined, struggling with the heavily angled surface.

Only to be joined by the sudden roar of rocket engines.

Thunderbird One tore up the Swan River, screaming to a halt above the bridge. Her underbelly opened and a grapple shot down and caught the walkway as it teetered further. VTOL roared.

And she heard his voice.

"Please keep calm. International Rescue is here to assist."

-o-o-o-

His heart leapt into his throat.

The bridge had been decimated. Two explosions, one at each of the main pylons had mangled the steel spans that supported the bridge. The pylons themselves were fairly secure, but the walkway was swinging loose, its structure never designed to take its own weight without the support spans.

Wires were snapping and springing apart.

Human figures were falling into the water below.

"John, tell me what caused this."

"Initial results still coming in." A pause. "Incendiary. Likely a bomb or a series."

"Shit." A breath. "Tell me there are no more."

"In depth scan in progress."

"I need that information now."

"Working on it."

He bit his lip as numbers spun across the space between the bridge and the Thunderbird in orbit.

"No further explosives detected. Eos is repeating the scan as we speak."

"Thank you, John. Advise the GDF. Thunderbird two, we need you here now."

"On approach."

And she was. The great green behemoth swooping low over the river, her VTOL churning the surface below. She came to an abrupt halt and released her module. She waited long enough for Thunderbird Four to dart into the river, before gathering the module back to her belly once again. She was going to need it. A flare of VTOL and she rose up and over the bridge.

"Virgil, deploy rescue rafts and stabilise the walkway. Gordon, you're on victim retrieval. Watch for falling debris. Alan and Kayo, send down TB2's grabs and start picking people off the bridge. I'll be doing the same once you have the walkway stable."

Virgil's baritone followed by the rest of his family's voices were a chorus of FABs.

Thunderbird Two quickly dropped a series of large self-inflatable support rafts onto the surface of the river on both sides of the bridge, before deploying her grapples to secure the walkway. The whole structure straightened under the strength of the Thunderbird.

"Scott, it's too heavy for Two. We lose much more structural support, it's going to drop."

"FAB, Thunderbird Two." Time was crucial.

The green 'bird lowered her nosecone grapples geared with her rescue rig. The small figures of Alan and Kayo leapt off and started gathering people.

Scott disengaged his grapple and began deploying harnesses. As he was working, he couldn't help but ask. "Where is she?"

John answered without hesitation. "On the main walkway, near the centre. She appears unharmed." A hologram flashed up and there she was, her 'scoot shooting back and forth gathering people and ushering them towards Two's rescue rig. Something in his gut clenched. "Keep an eye on her." And he resisted the urge to swoop down and grab her immediately.

"FAB."

And the rescue effort began in earnest. Fly down grab a victim, reassure them, assess for urgent injury, harness them, transport them to one of the rafts, make sure they are secure, grab the next one. It was simple pick and grab. Thunderbird Two was filling Module Four with rescuees, Alan and Kayo darting across broken concrete and gathering people to the rig.

Gordon had the hardest job. The majority of persons who had fallen off the bridge were injured, and there were a lot of injured.

Fortunately, some more help arrived.

"International Rescue Australasia Oceania reporting for duty." They arrived in a GDF flyer, but they had their uniforms and suddenly there were more hands to help. Gordon was joined by several of the aquanauts he had been training on the other side of the continent just the previous week. Figures supported by jetpacks not unlike his own darted out from the carrier's underbelly and began snatching survivors alongside him. Field Commander Davis flickered up on his holographic display. "Commander, thought you could use a hand." She didn't smile, she was too professional for that. "IR AO is supplemented by several of our other recruits so we have more hands. Your orders?" The grey of her baldric sash shone dully in the holographic light.

Scott, however, couldn't help but smile. "Pick and grab, Lauren. We're on a time limit, so make it fast. Thunderbird Two can't hold the bridge forever."

"FAB."

It was odd hearing that response from a voice outside his family.

The rescue sped up after that.

But not enough.

"Scott, we just lost a crucial support! It's going to go!" Virgil's voice wasn't panicked, but it was damn close. Far above him Thunderbird Two's VTOL screamed as his brother desperately attempted hold so many tonnes of bridge.

"Slave TB1, use her grapples."

"FAB." It would give them a few more minutes at least.

They almost had it. As John called the final evac, the rafts had been dragged to a safe distance, there were only a handful of people left on the bridge, several of them IR personnel attending to victims with life threatening injuries...

Em.

He caught sight of her just as Virgil swore over comms and Two plummeted several metres, the bridge sagging.

One of the support wires near her snapped under the sudden strain and whipped around... "Em!"

He was moving before thought, but still it played in slow motion just out of his reach. The wire slashed through the air, missing her, but catching her hoverscoot. A spray of sparks and she was flung sideways and over the edge.

-o-o-o-

It became a blur of terrified people.

When the rescue rig landed on the tilting deck, she took only a moment to acknowledge Kayo and Alan. Both attempted to evacuate her, but she knew she was useful where she was and refused. There were others who needed help more than she.

That didn't stop them from trying several more times, each person she delivered to that rescue rig was accompanied by a visual plea from Kayo. Perhaps she had suspicions why, but this wasn't the time to think about it.

The Thunderbirds above were joined by a GDF flyer and suddenly there were more IR personnel on that bridge. Her heart leapt as a man in blue swooped in to land, but it wasn't Scott. He wasn't even a Tracy and she realised that this was the embodiment of Scott's strategic plan.

She handed him a baby along with the boy's mother and she darted off to grab another child clinging to a crumpled market stall.

More and more terrified people were airlifted away. Soon it was down to the critically injured, those who couldn't be moved without further injury. She and another IR operative had a teenage girl showing all the signs of a spinal injury when Kayo called out for final evac. Far above, even Em could hear the sudden strain of Thunderbird Two's VTOL as the bridge trembled.

The concrete beneath her shifted and fell and her 'scoot lost traction for a split second. She grabbed for purchase, but her fingernails scraped useless across the pavement. A screech of metal, movement, and she was thrown sideways. A blur of bridge railing, the world spun...

And she was falling.

Fast.

She may have screamed, but the rush of air stole it from her throat.

Her hands clawed at nothing. There was nothing, nothing-

She was surrounded by blue fabric. Warm, strong, breathing and, oh god, so familiar. It enveloped her, slowing her plummet, saving her.

She gasped and it came out a sob.

"It's okay…okay, I've got you."

She looked up and there were those eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes that haunted her dreams.

Furrowed in fear.

"Scott?"

He didn't answer, just pulling her in closer as if he was clinging to her as much as she was to him.

-o-o-o-

He caught her mid-air, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her close, slowing her spin and her fall. Oh god, he had caught her.

His breath hitched as she let out a frightened sob. "It's okay...okay, I've got you."

As he shifted into a hover, she looked up, ice blue eyes fixing on him. "Scott?"

Such hope and fear in his name.

He didn't answer, just pulled her closer, holding on so tight, he felt he may never let go.

"Scott! Get out of there! It's collapsing and I can't stop it!" Virgil's voice in his ear was drowned out by a roar and the shadow of the bridge above fell towards them.

Shit!

Holding Em close, he accelerated away from the tangle of falling steel and concrete. The shift in air pressure threatened to drag them in as the mass gained speed as it fell. Scott spun, darting to avoid the steel span that was following the walkway into the river. Em clung to him and he wished he'd had chance to harness her to himself.

He had never held anyone so tight.

Thunderbird One loomed, no longer attached to the falling bridge, her hover unaffected by the now churning river below. Flying through her open hatch, he was finally able to draw in a breath as it closed behind him.

He lowered her gently to the passenger seat. "Are you okay? Are you injured?"

Em didn't answer and he realised she was trembling. He crouched down, his gloved hand reaching for her.

She stared at him for a moment, but still didn't say anything, her hands going to the harness holding her to the 'scoot.

Her fingers fumbled with the buckles until he reached in to help. Without a word, she slid herself free and he lifted the dead piece of equipment away.

Something dark glistened in the empty seat.

He spun back to find her staring at a spreading red stain on her skirt.

-o-o-o-

End Part Eighteen.


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Nineteen

Author: Gumnut

1 – 4 Mar 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 3000

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 And here we are, the last chapter. There will be an Epilogue full of important stuff, I've started it. Also, those of you who follow me on Tumblr will have already read the first Tale of Gentle Rain – I kinda jumped the gun and didn't want to officially publish it until I had finished this fic…which is pretty close now. So, there is more to come. Thank you ever so much to scribbles97 who has helped me through this entire fic. Also thanks to i-am-chidorixblossom and the-lazy-razorsharp who have also answered my frantic calls at various points in time – this fic was a nerve-wracker and I can be really insecure at times :D I would also like to give a massive thanks to all of you who have cheered me along the way. Your comments and feedback have kept me going. It makes it so much more purposeful to write if I know what I'm writing is being read and super bonus if it is being enjoyed. Thank you so, so much ::hugs you all madly::

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

Waking in hospital was not her favourite. She had done it many times in her thirty years and none of those events had been pleasant.

She could smell the hospital around her.

A frown. Vague memories of faces, words, it seemed like dreams, all leading back to that man from International Rescue.

A pair of blue eyes.

Scott Tracy.

She woke with his name on her lips.

And he was the first thing she saw.

"Em?" His voice was soft, tentative, and the hope in his face so strong.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself." That smile of his still turned her insides to jelly. "How are you feeling?"

How was she feeling? A quick physical check and she found herself surprisingly good. "Good. I'm good."

His smile widened.

A snuffled snort echoed through the room. She frowned. "What?"

Scott stepped back and she came eye to eye with Kayo sitting on a couch in the corner. The smirk on her face was amusing, particularly considering the man asleep in her lap. Virgil was snoring softly, curled up rather awkwardly on the too small sofa, still in his uniform. His baldric and toolkit were draped over the back of one of the chairs.

"Is he okay?"

Scott's smile was reassuring. "He's fine. Just tired. Stubborn idiot refused to go home."

"Why?"

He frowned and she realised that he, too, was still in his uniform. "You don't remember?"

Remember? A blink. "You caught me."

"Yes, I did. But you were injured."

Injured? Her brain didn't seem to be functioning at full capacity. "How?"

His brow furrowed immediately. "You had a laceration on your leg. You lost a lot of blood."

"I did?" She reached down and peered under the covers. Her left stump was swathed in bandages. Another frown and she forced her mind to think.

Scott speaking to her calmly, but firmly. Strapping her in. She had flown in a Thunderbird. Thunderbird One. Thunder was right. It had roared. So, so fast.

Then the hospital. Perth Hospital. Again.

Scott holding her. Her blood on his hands.

Worried blue eyes.

She shook herself. She must be on something. She was foggy.

"The bridge? The people?"

"We saved as many as we could."

Virgil snorted again.

She frowned at the man as Kayo stroked his hair. A glance at Scott. "Why are you here?"

His eyes widened and his expression closed suddenly and considering their recent history she realised exactly how that might have sounded.

A blink. "No, you idiot. I'm talking about the broken arm, leg and ribs, not to mention the hole in your side that was stitched up a few weeks before Christmas."

"Uh." Now he looked uncomfortable, almost like a young boy who had just discovered he was in trouble.

Her foggy mind still wasn't registering properly, but it still managed to calculate recovery times. She rubbed her eyes. "And what about Virgil? You know, the man who recently died." In the corner of her eye she saw Kayo tense.

"It was necessary." His stance straightened. "Besides, we had backup."

"I noticed. But that didn't seem to exclude either of you from the rescue."

"There wasn't time-"

"Exactly! You haven't given either of yourselves enough time!"

Those blue eyes flared. "And what exactly did you expect me to do? Sit back while you fell off a bridge?"

And there it was, the blatant self-sacrifice that was going to kill these men. "You had back up! Let them do their job. Stop risking yourself."

"I couldn't leave you there." It was quiet, but the words were firm.

She stared at him. "Your health is worth the risk, Scott."

"Yours isn't." He glared at her. "I will not risk you."

"Me? What about the other hundred or so people?"

His lips shut closed and he didn't answer. Blue simply stared at her.

Her eyes widened. "You didn't..."

"How could I not?" And suddenly he was so much closer.

"Oh, for goodness sake, kiss her already!" There was a thump and a groan, and they both looked up to see Virgil rolling off the couch. The man was obviously stiff as a board. "Have at it, I'm getting coffee." And without a glance at them, he stumbled from the room, dragging Kayo with him. Kayo did grin back at both of them, however, her eyes sparkling.

Em frowned. "Are you sure he's okay?"

Scott smiled. Oh god, that smile. "I thought you'd be familiar with Virgil Sans Coffee by now." But he was leaning in and that smile touched her lips. As always, he was warm, his energy burning, reaching out and drawing her in. A brush of his tongue on hers and he released her. She didn't want to let him go.

His smile became hesitant. "I believe I owe you an explanation."

"Regarding your habit of flashing hot and cold?" God, honestly, she only wanted him to kiss her again. His hot was so hot. Screw it. "I've just had a major traumatic incident. I'm injured, and I'm pretty sure I'm high on pain meds. Can we save it for later? I'd really just like to you to kiss me again."

His grin was as gorgeous as his smile, and god, when he wrapped his arms around her and took her lips with his, all the cares in the world could wait until later.

-o-o-o-

Em was only in the hospital for a few days, but in that time, she managed to have every Tracy march through her door plus Kayo and her uncle.

Uncle Crispin arrived with Sally Tracy along with Alan. Alan was looking a little green around the gills and the description he gave Kayo of what her uncle and his grandmother had been doing on the plane was enough to turn Em a little green in sympathy.

There were some things that you just didn't want to know about the generations above you.

Uncle Crispin gave her the third degree on what had happened. This was quickly followed by him cornering Scott the moment he walked through her door on the way back from a meeting with the GDF.

"And what are your intentions with my niece, Tracy?"

"Kip!"

"Uncle Crispin!"

It was hard to tell who was more offended, Mrs Tracy or Em.

But Scott didn't back down. He took a step towards her uncle and looked him in the eye. And he could. Not having seen Scott standing to his full height, Em hadn't realised he was that tall. Though slimmer in youth, he could match every one of her uncle's many inches. Wow. "And what are your intentions with my Grandmother?"

"Scott!" Okay, Mrs Tracy was the more offended.

Em glared at the both of them. "If you two gentlemen do not stop alpha strutting in my hospital room, I will ask both of you to leave."

Scott's response was immediate, probably feeling like he was already on probation and didn't want to blow it. He backed down, but she didn't fail to notice that he stepped immediately to her side. She rolled her eyes at that.

Uncle Crispin glared at him, but also backed off, stepping back beside Mrs Tracy.

"Now, Uncle Crispin, this is my business. While I appreciate your protectiveness, I find it rather ironic that you are attempting to protect me from the grandson of your paramour, and the leader of International Rescue, an organisation you greatly admire. You have a model Thunderbird and figurines, for crying out loud." She turned to Scott, whose eyes were bugging out a little at her last statement. "And you, give your grandmother a break. Uncle Crispin is a great guy, I can promise you that. Stop snarling at him."

Neither man commented, merely exchanging wary glances. God, men!

The tableau was interrupted by Virgil waltzing in with a get-well balloon tied to a blue teddy bear. Every face in the room turned to him. He stopped in his tracks and blinked. "Did I interrupt something?"

Em couldn't help but smile. "No, nothing of importance."

His eyes darted back and forth between his eldest brother, Uncle Crispin, Em and Kayo. "Okay, good, because Scott bought you a get-well bear." He strode up and plonked it on the edge of her bed.

"I did?"

Kayo elbowed her brother. "Yes, you did, because that is what good boyfriends do when their girlfriends are in the hospital."

There was a silence for a moment and Em stared at Virgil. The engineer smiled at her.

"Yes. Yes, I did and I do." Scott said the words, but looked a little stunned.

Em bit her lip, but couldn't help grinning at his expression. She picked up the bear. It had blue eyes and a perpetual smile. Reaching out a hand, she snagged Scott's and pulled him towards her. "Thank you, Scott. It was a very kind thought." And she was grinning up at him.

He rolled his eyes. "You're welcome."

"Can I give you a thank you kiss?"

She couldn't help but grin at the grin that immediately split his face. He bent down and, oh, oh, thank you. Thank you, indeed.

The bear was dropped to the bed covers and one hand was in his hair, the other on his shoulder feeling the flex of muscle through his shirt.

"My god, I'm surrounded by a bunch of lovebirds. Okay, that's it, I'm making a point of being somewhere else for some time. Em, get better soon. Enjoy...my brother."

Scott broke off their kiss just in time for her to see Alan shudder. Mrs Tracy grabbed the youngest before he could escape and said something quietly to him Em couldn't hear before kissing his cheek. Alan rolled his eyes and stomped out of the room.

Em had a grip on Scott's shirt and didn't want to let go. Virgil was grinning ear to ear. Kayo had a smirk on her face. Mrs Tracy was smiling. Uncle Crispin, surprisingly, wasn't glaring, but was thoughtful instead.

Scott was staring down at her in amazement.

She grinned. "Can I say thank you again?"

Virgil cracked up laughing.

-o-o-o-

Escaping from hospital did not equate to escaping from the Tracys. Kayo, despite being heavily involved into the investigation surrounding the bridge bombing, found the time to accompany her back to her apartment. Virgil had declared her hoverscoot deceased and promptly acquired her a new one. Her protest at the cost was met with a flat-eyed stare, and yeah, billionaires, money no object, yada-yada-yada.

It was a relief to slip back into a hoverscoot. The hoverchair from the hospital was just clunky and cumbersome.

While Virgil packed the car, she took the opportunity to sit down with Kayo for a moment in her own loungeroom. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. I can't believe..." And she ran out of words.

"Em..." Kayo held up her hand. "Trust me, we are equal on all scores." Virgil stuck his head in the door and grabbed two more of the small bags she had hastily packed and disappeared again. Kayo smiled just a little, her voice quiet as she stared after him. "We're equal."

"If there is ever anything I can do for either of you. Just ask." She reached out and grabbed the woman's hand. "Please." She tried her best to covey how much it all meant to her.

Kayo turned to her and tilted her head a little. "If you do the same." A small smile. "I hear rumour that is what friends do."

Em couldn't help but grin just a little. She felt like a teenager swapping friendship bracelets. The thought was just ridiculous.

But it meant so much more.

"Oh, I've got something for you." Kayo reached into her pocket. "You should keep this on you at all times until Brains can set you up with something a little less conspicuous." The security officer handed her the IR comm she had worn in New Zealand.

Em stared at it. "Are you sure?"

Kayo arched an eyebrow. "I'm sure."

Em held it in her hands, the embossed IR logo catching the light. "That is something I've been meaning to ask. I left this behind in Wellington. How did you know I was on the bridge?"

"I planted a tracker in your hoverscoot." There was no apology in Kayo's expression.

Em stared at her. "What?"

"You became an IR concern. I needed to know where you were."

"Why?"

"We are primarily a rescue organisation. However, our technologies are advanced and there are people out there who will do anything to get their hands on them. You know this, it has already affected your life drastically."

"You think they might use me to get to you?"

Kayo shrugged. "Maybe. Possibly. There are a range of vulnerabilities in the equation. The tracker was to protect you and IR. In this case, we knew you were on the bridge and could act accordingly."

"Is that what happened? Were they after me?" Her heart stuttered at the thought. To be honest, she had already considered some of the dangers involved. It was obvious. She had lost her family to a man who had wanted what the Tracys had.

Something flashed in Kayo's eyes.

"No, a group has claimed responsibility. Lunatics. Don't worry. Penelope and I are working on it. We'll find them." And Kayo stopped there, obviously unwilling to reveal anymore.

Her apartment door opened again and Virgil walked back in. "Anything else? I think I've about covered my rehab for today."

Em mentally shook herself and smiled.

-o-o-o-

The stop at her apartment was exactly that, just a stop. She needed assistance and the doctors had only released her with the reassurance that she would have company.

So, bags packed and loaded, Kayo flew her back to Tracy Island, and she found herself in the same room she had spent Christmas. Cecil arrived to attend to her every need. The man was a like a clone of Gordon Tracy, though taller and skinnier. A ray of sunshine who never stopped smiling.

Scott bounced back and forth from the island every day, horribly busy, both with the GDF and the Thunderchick squads. Then a tsunami in Japan took every hand IR had available.

All the brothers came back from that pale and dead-eyed.

She caught him before he could escape to his room.

Even though she was prepared for it, it still hurt when he brushed her off. "Em, I'm tired. It's been a long day. You should be resting." His natural reflex was to lock it all up and process it alone, the same way he had when Virgil collapsed.

She hadn't missed Virgil beelining to Kayo. Hadn't missed her wrapping her arms around him, his head dropping to her shoulder in pure exhaustion. Her leading him away to their quarters.

Scott had glanced at them while removing his baldric and dumping it on the couch before throwing himself down beside it.

She steeled herself. "I'm fine. It is you who needs the rest."

He looked up at her and the exhaustion and pain in his eyes broke her heart. Reaching out, she 'scooted forward, dropping the 'scoot directly onto the couch and took him into her arms, lying his head on her chest.

He resisted at first, his muscles tense, and she was forced to wonder how long it had been since this man had been comforted. She knew a good percentage of his history, had seen the care he doled out to his family, but who cared for the carer? Virgil, most certainly, but he would ever be younger.

Em would ever be older.

She pulled him tighter, running her fingers through his hair, and slowly his arms crept around her and returned the embrace. He didn't fully relax, no doubt that would take time, but his breathing evened out and he rested his weight on her.

"I love you." The words came out unbidden. She didn't mean to say it, but it was said.

His reaction was immediate. He sat up, pulling away a little and staring at her.

Em felt the blood drain from her face. "I'm sorry, I-"

And he was kissing her, his strength pulling her close. His tongue begged entry and she let him in, as he crushed her against him. His cologne was overlaid with sweat and dirt, he desperately needed a shower and a shave, but he was in her arms and loving her in his own way.

She didn't expect the words, not yet. If there was one thing she had learnt over the last few months, it was that Scott Tracy had a large family, but ultimately, he had been alone for a long time. As alone as she had been.

It was going to take time.

The kiss broke off, his breathing heavy, eyes glistening in the evening light. "Em..."

She reached up and placed a finger across his lips. "You don't have to say anything." He kissed her finger, his breath hot on her skin. "I will only ask you for one thing."

His eyes widened in an expression very similar to the last time she had made such a demand of him.

"Ping me. Come to me. Seek me out." Her fingers drifted into his hair and she leant forward to kiss his forehead. "I'm here. You are not alone. You don't have to say anything, I won't force you to talk, I promise. Just be...with me."

It was all she could ask.

He stared at her for a moment, words bouncing about his eyes, but none finding his mouth. Eventually he drew her into his embrace, a soft kiss to her jaw, her cheek and her lips. There was no smile, no charm, no Commander of International Rescue, no big brother.

Just Scott Tracy.

He dropped his head to her shoulder, exhaustion in every line of his body. Em stroked his hair and just held on.

-o-o-o-

FIN.


	20. Epilogue

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part Twenty: Epilogue

Author: Gumnut

4 - 10 Mar 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.

Word count: 2553

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.

Author's note: For scribbles97 And here we are, the very end and epilogue :D Those of you who follow me on Tumblr will have already read the first Tale of Gentle Rain – I kinda jumped the gun and didn't want to officially publish it until I had finished this fic…which is done now, so expect it in a day or two. Again, thank you ever so much to scribbles97 who has helped me through this entire fic. Also thanks to i-am-chidorixblossom and the-lazy-razorsharp who have also answered my frantic calls at various points in time – this fic was a nerve-wracker and I can be really insecure at times :D I would also like to give a massive thanks to all of you who have cheered me along the way. Your comments and feedback have kept me going. It makes it so much more purposeful to write if I know what I'm writing is being read and super bonus if it is being enjoyed. Thank you so, so much ::hugs you all madly:: I hope you enjoy this last little bit.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

 _This time I wonder what it feels like_

 _To find the one in this life_

 _The one we all dream of_

 _But dreams just aren't enough_

 _So I'll be waiting for the real thing_

 _I'll know it by the feeling_

 _The moment when we're meeting_

 _Will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen_

 _So I'll be holdin' my breath_

 _Right up to the end_

 _Until that moment when_

 _I find the one that I'll spend forever with_

 _'Cause nobody wants to be the last one there._

 _'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares._

 _Someone to love with my life in their hands._

 _There's gotta be somebody for me like that._

 _'Cause nobody wants to go it on their own_

 _And everyone wants to know they're not alone._

 _Somebody else that feels the same somewhere._

 _There's gotta be somebody for me out there._

 _Nickelback, Gotta Be Somebody_

It was a perfect evening. Autumn was truly showing its colours with warm days and cool nights. A touch cool for him, the tropics made him soft for temperature extremes, but Em showed no such concern.

Virgil had ribbed him the entire trip, airlifting Scott's Lamborghini from one country to another. Some fast talking and a bucket of money at the state government service point and the blue sports car hit the Perth highway network with Western Australian plates. Taking the day to familiarise himself with the city while Em finished up with some patients and he realised why Virgil so liked bringing his Harley onto the continent. So much sun, so much road. Perhaps he and Em could...he smiled to himself. One step at a time.

He picked her up at her apartment, eyes agog at the sight of his girl dressed in flowing deep blue satin. Her dark hair was gently curled, her lips blood red and her pale blue eyes smiling at him. He found it very hard not to smudge her makeup right there and then.

As it was, she grinned up at him and brushed the lipstick off his lips with her thumb. "You dress up very nicely." And she was eyeing him very obviously. Her hands landed on his shoulders, soft through his jacket and she leant up and kissed him again.

Hmmm.

Very nice. His hands around her waist, soft material...warm skin. Oh god, the dress was backless. He deepened the kiss, his tongue finding hers, his fingers brushing across the curve of her back, slipping over that tantalising softness...drifting lower, slipping beneath fabric, beautiful, oh yes...pulling her closer, losing himself in her.

His hand trailed down her spine. Soft skin became rough and his fingertips stumbled over obvious scars.

He tensed, but hurried to cover.

Not subtle enough.

She broke off the kiss and shot him a questioning look. "Scott?"

"I have something for you." He put everything into his smile.

It appeared to work.

"What are you up to, fly-boy?"

A grin and he led her to the car.

"A lamborghini? A blue lamborghini?"

He snorted. "I guess, if you really want it, you can have it, but no..." He opened the car door and, reaching in, pulled out a single red rose. "According to Virgil, this is something a prospective boyfriend gives a prospective girlfriend on their first date."

Em was smiling enough for her eyes to sparkle with it. "Virgil gives great advice." She took it gently from his hand and smelt the opening bud. "Lovely." Looking up at him through her eyelashes, she purred, "You know, I should kiss you thank you, but at this rate we are going to spend the entire date on the sidewalk outside of my apartment."

A grin. "Sounds good to me." He brushed a stray hair from her forehead and replaced it with his lips.

She leant into him. "Oh, you big distraction." But she slipped her hands under his jacket and around his ribs, and again, he found himself kissing her. His heart-rate spiked and he became extremely aware that if he didn't stop enjoying himself so much, they would end up somewhere much less likely to serve food.

He wanted to do this right.

God, he wanted to do this right.

Breaking off the kiss, he smiled down at her. "You are rather distracting yourself." He curled her hair behind one of her ears. "Truly beautiful, Emaline."

Her eyes widened and her lips parted as if to say something, but closed instead, smiling, somewhat shyly. She fiddled with his jacket collar. "You know how to sweet talk a lady, fly-boy."

He lowered his voice. "I know how to tell the truth."

Another smile and she turned slightly, linking her arm in his. "So, you ready to show a girl a good time?"

A grin. "Oh, most definitely. Your limo awaits." He gestured towards the Lambo. A step and he opened the door for her.

"Why, thank you, kind sir." Her hoverjets whirred as she lowered herself to the level of the seat and, disengaging her harness, levered herself into the car. It was awkward and Scott hovered a little to make sure she didn't slip. "You okay?"

"Never ridden in a sports car before." She grinned up at him and straightened her skirt. "This thing got a boot?"

"Boot?" He blinked.

She rolled her eyes. "A trunk?"

"Oh. Oh, sure."

A flick of her palm controls and the hoverscoot rose up in front of him. "Grab it."

He did as he was told and another flick of her fingers and the jets disengaged, the 'scoot falling into his grip. It was surprisingly light.

He closed her door gently and walking to the front of the car, stashed the 'scoot in the trunk, before jumping into the driver's seat.

"Ready?"

She was fiddling with an extra harness, attaching it to her seatbelt. "Sorry, I need to be a little more secure." A clip around the lap belt and she straightened. "There. Now, fly-boy, let's see what this gorgeous machine can do."

A laugh, and he started the engine. A good throaty roar and he pulled out onto the road. "Would you like to go for a bit of spin before dinner?"

"I hear rumour you like fast things."

"That is no rumour."

"Then let her rip."

So he did. Grabbing the nearest freeway, he opened her up as far as the speed limit would allow. He headed for the distant hills, looking for some nice curves in the road to wrap her around. Em appeared to be enjoying every minute of it. As the sun headed towards the horizon, they disappeared into eucalypt forest, leaving the freeways behind. The long shadows of trees sped over the hood of the car like a strobing light.

"How long have you had this car?" Her question broke the rumbling silence of the last thirty kilometres.

"A few years. Gordon bought his, followed by Virgil." He shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, I haven't had much of a chance to take her out."

A half smile out the corner of his eye. "Well, hopefully you will get more time now." She reached over and put her hand on his thigh. Her finger began rubbing circles on his pant leg.

His hand drifted to hers, wrapping her fingers in his. "What do you feel like for dinner? Any dining preferences?"

"Anywhere with you will do."

He grinned. "So McDonalds in a carpark do the job?"

"Hah! Upgrade to fish and chips and a scenic lookout and you're on."

A blink. "Actually that doesn't sound too bad." He couldn't remember the last time he'd parked a car and just sat to look at a view. "But this is our first date, I want it to be memorable."

"Then fish and chips it is."

And she meant it. Before he knew it, she had him pulling to the side of the road in front of a mom and pop shop in some tiny wannabe town and he was ordering a meal that cost less than one of Virgil's fancy coffees.

Two sodas and a hot dinner wrapped in butcher's paper. Em pulled up the location of the nearest lookout and they were parked, just in time to see the sun slip below the horizon.

The smell of hot fries permeated the car and set his mouth watering.

"They are not fries. They're chips."

"Look like fries to me."

"Well, they're not." And she whacked him on the nose with one.

"Hey!" She giggled as he wiped the salt off his face. "You're asking for it, young lady."

"Ooh, asking for what?"

"Keep doing that and you might find out." He bit into a chip and it had the perfect crunch followed by light and fluffy potato inside. "These are delicious."

The lookout was deserted and as the sun disappeared, it grew dark and the city in the distance lit up in the yellows, white and oranges of street lighting, with the central business district standing bright as if a centre piece to the whole panorama.

"There is something about looking down at a city at night. All those lights, a home, a house, a building, a street lamp. All defying the darkness, outlining where we've spread, our impact on our environment, our determination."

"I should take you up to Thunderbird Five and let John show you his view."

She was staring at him. "Into space?"

He smiled. "Yes, into space." A sigh. "Sometimes I forget that some things we do are not every day things."

"The Tracys don't do 'average'."

"What?" It came out as a half laugh.

"Kayo told me that the day I first arrived on Tracy Island. I have to say, she's got it right."

"I hope you don't hold that against us."

"Against you? No. You just have a little magic at your fingertips."

"Magic."

"Yes, magic." She reached out and touched his face. "In more ways than one." Her smile was gentle.

"Heh." He couldn't help it, he blushed.

That smile turned into a grin. "And here I thought only your grandmother could manage that."

He straightened a little. "What can I say? You have your ways." He shoved another chip into his mouth and guzzled a little of his drink.

"There is no need to be embarrassed."

"Not embarrassed."

An arched eyebrow, but she left it, eating a chip of her own.

The meal passed pleasantly, and soon the butchers paper was scrunched up and Scott climbed out of the car to deposit it in the nearby public trash bin. The air was a touch chilly, but oddly refreshing. Walking around to Em's side of the car, he opened her door. "Would you like to do a little stargazing?"

She grinned. "I can do that from here." Her expression turned all starstruck and obviously targeted him.

"Oh, really?" He struck an alluring pose.

Em burst out laughing. "Okay, perhaps you are right. Let us gaze at a galaxy of burning balls of gas."

"Hey!" But he was grinning as much as she and as Em unfastened her harness and seatbelt, he grabbed her 'scoot from the 'boot'. A little shuffling and the occasional mutter and his girl was mobile again.

He took her hand in his.

"I like your hands."

Scott startled. "What?"

"They're warm and your fingers are so long and elegant." Both of hers wrapped around his right hand, rubbing it a little. "And they were the first part of you that reached for me." She kissed his middle fingertip.

He couldn't help but smile. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Just..." How could he explain it? She affected him. Churned something inside. Made him...feel good. He reached up his other hand, sliding his fingers into her hair, cupping the back of her head. Bending down, he kissed her again. She responded immediately, letting him in, moving closer until she was in his arms, her body pressed up hard against him. She was just...

She was smart. Different smart to him, but smart, quick, able to keep him on his toes.

She was strong. She could kick his ass. She took no shit and could give as good as she got, if not better.

She was beautiful. Her smile caught him and set his heart beating harder than it ever had. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair.

He wanted her.

Oh, god, he wanted her.

And she loved him.

He broke off the kiss, staring into her pale eyes. "I love you." It was a revelation, but not. The words just simply existed and he knew them to be true. She was different from anyone else. She was...

She was Em.

And she was staring back up at him, her eyes wide, her lips parted.

She was kissing him again, reaching up and pulling him down. A whir of hoverjets and she was suddenly at his height, kissing him urgently, her hands in his hair, her lips on his and he couldn't help but respond.

He held her. He kissed her. He loved her.

And everything just seemed right.

-o-o-o-

The beep was soft, barely loud enough to hear, but it woke Kayo without a problem. It was designed to do that.

Beside her, Virgil slept on, finally on his stomach. She took just an extra moment to appreciate him, barely visible in the dark, his broad and bare shoulders once again bunched up as he hugged his pillow. He was breathing softly.

She resisted reaching out to touch him and slipped from the bed instead, leaving the room silently.

"Yes, John?"

"I'm not calling Virgil out, I just need some information, I promise."

Kayo sighed. "John, I owe you an apology."

"What?"

"You got the raw end of everything during recent events and I know I'm partly to blame. I am sorry, it shouldn't be that way, and I apologise."

The line was silent a moment, then a quiet, "Apology accepted" wandered down from orbit.

The silence returned.

"John?"

"Kayo, you used one of Virgil's trackers for Em's hoverscoot."

"Yes, but I changed the flag so you could see it was different."

"But not everyone would know that. It was still on the same frequency."

She blinked and it all came together in her head. "You think someone has hacked our tracker system. You think they were after Virgil?!" She raised her voice involuntarily and had to bite her lip to stop saying more.

"Kayo, it is inconclusive. Why bomb the bridge? If someone was after Virgil, why approach it like that? And it is very obvious that Em is not Virgil. Eyes on target would reveal that immediately. No, I think there is more to this."

"I want the trackers scrubbed. Speak to Brains. I want security upgrades on all our networks. Find the hole and plug it."

"Kayo-"

"Including the subcutaneous."

"Kayo-"

"John-" A pair of large hands slid around her waist and drew her up against an equally large and warm chest. A kiss at the base of her neck.

Warm breath.

His voice was deep and rough with sleep. "Kay? What's wrong?"

"John, do it. I'll be there momentarily." She killed her comms and, turning in his arms, looked up into his beautiful brown eyes. They were heavy-lidded and frowning with a little worry for her. She forced a smile. "Not much. John discovered a problem with our trackers. I need to go up and help him with a system overhaul."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Security is security." She reached up and placed her hand on the side of his face. He leant into her touch. "Go back to bed, love. I'll see you in the morning."

He drew her into a hug, gently kissing her. "Will miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. Go back to sleep." She turned his dopey figure back in the direction of the bedroom and he obeyed reluctantly.

Grabbing her uniform, Kayo shoved it on, anger in every movement, mentally cursing whoever was responsible.

Well, they would regret it.

No-one threatened her family and lived.

-o-o-o-

FIN.


End file.
